Feels Like Home
by SilverStarsAndMoons
Summary: AU, where Addison stays in Seattle. Izzie and Addison are having a baby! All the trials and tribulations of becoming new parents at Seattle Grace Hospital. A bit fluffy, sometimes angsty, but always sweet. Thanks all for the reviews! This has been great!
1. Chapter 1

**Feels Like Home**

'_Cause I'm under the weather, just like the world_

_So sorry for being so bold_

_When I turn out the light, you're out of sight _

_Even though I know that I'm not alone_

_It feels like home._

Addison smiled sleepily and turned over in the warm sunshine pouring through her window. Sometimes, Izzie swore Addie must have been a cat in another life, because she just loved to sleep, lounge, and well, Izzie had found several ways to make her purr. Addison herself loved to trail a hand over Izzie's slowly swelling stomach, finding her nipples and teasing gently, until Izzie was too aroused not to turn over and kiss Addison everywhere she could reach on that soft ivory skin.

It had taken months, but finally, Izzie was pregnant. Addie had taken her to several fertility specialists in the Seattle area and then finally gave in, flying down to L.A. to visit her old friends at the Ocean Wellness Clinic. It had taken no time after that – within two months of being implanted (with sperm from a hot doctor who was also a violin player, a lacrosse athlete, and a writer – nothing less would do) - Izzie had missed her period twice and started throwing up in the mornings. Miserable for her, and in fact, she still complained to Addison in her fifth month that the very smell of Cheerios triggered her gag reflex, but Addison was overjoyed. If she personally couldn't have a baby, at least her blonde, beautiful wife could have one, and she could be the child's mother, too.

Izzie rolled over and smiled at Addison. "Good morning, sunshine," she murmured, running a hand over her stomach and capturing Addison's warm touch with her own. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Mmm . . ." Addison buried her nose in Izzie's soft neck, inhaling the sweet, slightly minty smell of her shining blonde hair. Addison swore that Izzie must be carrying a boy, because she was looking absolutely radiant and her hair was shinier than ever, but Izzie personally thought it was a girl. And since Izzie had been pregnant before, she told Addison that her guess was right. Either way, it didn't matter to Addie, although she did secretly want a girl more than a boy.

"I had to listen to you talking again. Were you talking to the baby?" Addison propped her head up on her hand, locking her blue eyes with Izzie's sleepy brown ones. Izzie smiled again.

"I was telling it a story. I thought you were asleep."

Addison felt a smile break out across her face. "No, I wasn't . . . but I sure did like to hear your voice. Is the baby keeping you up at night?"

Izzie frowned slightly and put a hand on her bump. "Well, it moves a lot . . . flutters around like it's going swimming. It's normal at this stage, though. I remember this from my last pregnancy."

Addison nodded assent. She'd been keeping an eye on Izzie since she found out her wife was pregnant. Sometimes, it seemed that all the information and advice she had given over the years went completely out of her head, now that it was her own child's progress she was watching. She felt as clueless as a teenage girl who had accidentally gotten knocked up. Forget the fact that she was a top neonatal surgeon and obstetrician – everything was a miracle when it came to this baby.

Izzie swung her legs over the bed and suddenly grimaced. "Ugh, shouldn't have done that . . ." She ran into the ensuite bathroom where Addison heard her gagging. Addie clucked under her tongue and followed Izzie in.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. This should end really soon. You're nearly finished your fifth month." Addison held Izzie's hair back and when the blonde resident was finished, Addison wiped her face with a cool cloth and handed her a cup of water to rinse her mouth out with.

Izzie smiled faintly at her. "I know. At least it's only once or twice in the morning now . . . or three times," she gulped, turning back to the toilet and throwing up again. Addison winced and stayed with Izzie until the spasm had passed. Izzie flushed the toilet and slumped against the wall, closing her eyes.

"You know, I was always an emetophobe," she said weakly. "Now look at me, not even caring that I'm throwing up every morning. I don't remember being this sick with my last pregnancy."

"Well, it is twelve years later," said Addison. "Your body is different now, and sometimes different children cause different hormone levels." She smoothed Izzie's sweaty hair back from her face. "Come on. I'm going to bring you breakfast in bed." She smiled softly at Izzie and helped her back to bed. Izzie closed her eyes gratefully, turning her face into the cool silk of the pillowcase.

"Lucky for me, my wife's a neonatal surgeon," she quipped, smiling.

"Lucky for you, your wife's also a good cook," Addison retorted back, kissing Izzie's forehead. "Thank goodness we both have the evening shift tonight."

Izzie nodded and turned onto her side sleepily. "Wake me when the food's here."

Addison grinned and snuck out of the room.

-..-

Izzie checked the IV levels of the young mother who had just undergone a complicated C-section and smiled at her. "You're doing just fine, Mrs. Hunt. I'm sure you'll be able to get up in a few days."

She checked the gurgling three-day-old little boy in the bassinet beside her. "And Evan's doing just fine, too." She ran a finger over the baby's soft, soft skin and felt her eyes well up with tears at the beauty of this little life – something she would have in just four more months.

Mrs. Hunt smiled tiredly up at her. "When is yours due, Dr. Stevens?"

"In another four months, give or take," said Izzie, blinking her tears away and turning back to her patient. "I hope it's less than that – carrying this weight around and being constantly on my feet does nothing for my energy levels!"

"Do you know what it's going to be yet?"

"No, we don't know yet. My wife thinks it's going to be a boy, but I think it's going to be a girl. It feels very much like my other pregnancy, and that one turned out to be a girl."

Mrs. Hunt shifted painfully in the bed. "Well, I'm sure she must be happy to be a big sister soon!"

Izzie frowned a little. "Uh, well, yes. I'm sure she is." She didn't feel like explaining her life story to a patient just trying to make conversation, so she smiled and picked up her charts. "I've got to continue my rounds now, but I'll be back in a few hours to check on you, or my intern will."

Mrs. Hunt nodded. "Make sure to take some time for yourself tonight, Dr. Stevens!"

Izzie grinned. "Not likely, but thanks!"

She left the patient's room and ran smack into Meredith Grey. "Oh, Mer! Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Meredith gave Izzie a big smile. "You're just who I wanted to see. How's the baby?" Meredith knelt down and put her hands on Izzie's stomach. Izzie normally wouldn't have let anyone else but Addison do this, but Meredith was so excited about the baby that Izzie couldn't deprive her of sharing in it. And anyway, she found it kind of sweet.

The baby kicked obligingly and Meredith squealed. "She kicked me!"

"She knows it's her favourite Auntie Meredith," Izzie said fondly. "Now, would you mind letting me continue my rounds? Anyway, don't you have a surgery you need to attend to?"

Meredith pouted, standing up. "I just got out of surgery with Derek. We lost the patient. I'm not really in the mood to do another aneurysm removal, but I suppose I can't lose more than one patient today." She made a face. "I'm starving. When do we residents get to eat around here? I swear, we're run more off our feet now than we were when we were interns. I don't think it's very fair. We're higher up on the food chain, you know? I think we should be able to schedule our own breaks. Or at least our own naps. Or something. You know, seriously!"

Izzie shook her head. "Oh, Lord. We have a break in an hour. If I'm pregnant and I can stick it out, so can you. I'll see you in the cafeteria later." She patted Meredith's shoulder and shook her head, continuing down the hall.

Izzie spotted Lexie Grey and called out to her. "Grey, have you checked on 2401, 2405 and 2407 yet? I know for a fact that 2405 is running low on IV fluids, so I expect that you've ordered them. As well, 2407 is due for discharge – she's been in here the requisite seven days. Have you processed her papers yet?"

Lexie Grey, in some ways so much like her half-sister Meredith, looked up blearily. "No, I haven't gotten to those rooms yet, although I ordered 2405's IV half an hour ago."

Izzie's soft heart twisted a little in her chest at how tired the intern looked, but outwardly she remained professional and aloof. "Well, what are you waiting for? Honestly, Grey, if you ever expect to scrub in on any of my surgeries, you'd better step it up!"

Lexie nodded and gathered up the charts quickly, heading in the opposite direction down the corridor. Izzie had never expected that as a resident, she would have turned into another Bailey, but now she could appreciate the residents' and attendings' impatience with interns. They were just learning, it was true, but sometimes they acted so, well, so stupid! And after five months as an intern, Lexie Grey should know better. Meredith herself had complained about Lexie's apparently sluggish learning curve. Izzie shook her head in annoyance and squealed a little as someone pulled on her blonde ponytail. Spinning, she saw Addison, looking resplendent in red dress, crisp white coat and ever-so-elegant Jimmy Choos.

"Surprise," said Addison, giving Izzie a quick kiss on the lips. "I thought I'd come down here and see what was happening with Mrs. Hunt."

Izzie nodded. "I just checked on her. She seems to be doing well, and the baby's beautiful. However, her heart rate was up a little bit, and I think she could benefit from a little higher dose of morphine."

"Well, order it, then. And now, let's get you off your feet. You look about dead," said Addison in concern, brushing Izzie's hair back from her forehead. Izzie nodded gratefully. "Baby's weighing heavily today."

They collapsed on a bench outside of the nurses' station and Izzie yawned. "I could use some water."

"How about some juice? You need to keep your blood sugar up. When's the last time you ate?"

Izzie rolled her eyes. "Addison, I ate an hour ago. I'm fine. You don't need to play Mother Lion, here."

Addison leaned over and captured Izzie's mouth with her own. "Yes, I do. I want you to be healthy."

Izzie closed her eyes as Addison kissed her, but then pulled away. "Whatever. Anyway, I would like some juice." She fluttered her eyelashes at Addison. "You're so good to me."

Addison smiled. "I know." She got up to go to the nurses' kitchen down the hall and Izzie closed her eyes, leaning against the wall. She'd just have a short nap.

"Dr. Stevens?"

The voice pulled Izzie back from the verge of slumber and she opened her eyes, annoyed. "What is it, Grey? This better be important."

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Stevens, but you're needed downstairs. Trauma case came in, and it involves a little girl named Hannah Killearn. She's asking for you."

Izzie's eyes widened. "Hannah Killearn?" She got to her feet in a flash. "I'll be right there."


	2. Chapter 2

Izzie got off the elevator, one hand under her belly to support it, and kited down to the ER. She had a fleeting thought that if Addison could see her like this, she'd go nuts and refuse to let her come to work for a week, and thanked her lucky stars that Addison couldn't see her running down the corridors, dodging gurneys and confused nurses.

Hannah Killearn – now there was a name she hadn't heard in at least a year, since Hannah's bone marrow transplant had taken and the girl had moved out of her life with renewed health. She had heard through the adoption agency that Hannah and her parents had moved to Seattle so that Hannah could attend a prestigious private music school, but she'd promptly forgotten about the girl through all of her fertility implantation problems and through the experiences of hers and Addison's budding relationship. Well – that wasn't true. She had thought about her daughter from time to time, as her Caesarean scar stretched out and turned red; as she started getting sick in the mornings and remembered it happening close to twelve years ago; as her belly grew and her energy level depleted, and she remembered still being able to waitress and have energy left over to meet her friends at the bar for some dancing, if not drinking, at 16.

Hannah had never wanted to meet Izzie; in fact, her parents had made her send a thank you note for the bone marrow infusion, but Hannah's mother had written it and at the very bottom, Hannah's reluctant signature was the only part of her that made that note personal. Izzie was thoroughly confused as to why Hannah was asking for her now. She knew Hannah knew that she worked at Seattle Grace. Maybe she was looking for some reassurance? As Izzie reached the chaos of the ER, all other thoughts flew out of her head and she jogged up to triage.

"I was paged down here – consult for Hannah Killearn?"

The triage nurse looked up at her blearily. "Oh, yeah. Over in curtain two."

Izzie thanked her and headed over to the second curtain, which was half-closed around the bed. She hesitated for a moment, and then pulled back the curtain.

A small, frail little girl was lying in the bed, her eyes closed. There was a nasty gash across her forehead and her arm and leg were in slings. Her face was pale and her lips were pursed a little. Tear tracks still glimmered on her cheeks. Izzie had never seen Hannah this close before, and couldn't stop going over the similarities between her daughter and herself – the soft skin, the point of the chin, the blonde hair. Her heart broke to see this little girl lying in bed, all alone, and so hurt . . . so hurt.

Meredith Grey came through the curtain and stopped short, looking startled to see Izzie standing there, in tears. She whispered, "Izzie, what the hell are you doing down here? This is a surgical case, but you're not an intern anymore – you're supposed to only consult on the cases that your residency requires. She's obviously not pregnant." Meredith shot her an annoyed look. "She needs brain surgery."

Izzie rubbed the heels of her hands across her face roughly. "I know she's not pregnant, Mer. I'm here because . . . Hannah Killearn . . . well, she's . . . she's my daughter."

Meredith's jaw dropped. "Um, WHAT?!"

Izzie shook her head. "Not the time, Meredith. Needless to say, I had her at 16 and gave her up for adoption. And now here she is, and apparently, she asked for me. And I seriously have no idea why . . . I've never met her before." She looked down. "What's wrong with her? Why is she here? What happened?" She pulled out her pager and began to type Addison's number into it.

Meredith put a hand on Izzie's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Iz, I didn't know. She's here because she was hit by an SUV while she was riding on her bike after school. Apparently, she was going to the library for a school project. Her parents are out of the country – they're missionaries, as I'm sure you know, so they left her with a church-sponsored family for two weeks while they went off into the wild blue yonder." She shook her head uncomprehendingly. "She's got a broken arm and a broken leg, and Derek suspects she has a subdural hematoma since she wasn't wearing a helmet. She's booked into MRI as soon as he gets out from the aneurysm removal. He wants to do this one personally, it doesn't look good."

Izzie gasped and put a hand out to touch Hannah, her fingers stopping just short of touching the little girl's nubbly white blanket. "The poor, poor baby . . ." She stifled a sob and turned as Addison came running into the ward. "Izzie?"

"Here, Addie." Izzie's voice didn't sound like her own and she whisked back the curtain as Addison walked in. The attending picked up Hannah's chart and looked it over, whistling under her breath quietly. "Who's this little one?"

"My name is Hannah. Hannah Killearn. And I want to know what's going to happen to me." A small voice from the bed piped up and all the doctors turned. Hannah's eyes, as dark and bright as Izzie's, regarded them all bravely from where she lay on the white pillow. She raised a weak hand to push a stray blonde curl from the bandage on her forehead and fixed her eyes solely on Izzie. "Are you Isobel Stevens?"

Izzie, at a loss for words, just nodded. A look of dawning comprehension came over Addison's face and she put a hand on Izzie's back.

"That doctor" – pointing at Meredith – "says I need surgery. My real parents aren't here . . . so I guess you'll need to sign the consent forms." Hannah spoke with authority and weary knowledge, being as she'd been in the hospital so many times before for her leukemia. "You're related to me, by blood anyway."

"Hannah . . . I . . . I can't . . . I can't believe you wanted to meet me after all this time. I mean, I know why now, but it's still such a –"

"I'm sorry, Isobel, but my head hurts a lot. I'm not really up to talking right now." Hannah pushed the stray curl away from her bandage again and regarded Izzie gravely again. "Sorry."

Izzie nodded, once, twice. "Of – of course. I would imagine this has to be a shock for you, too." Her hand found Addison's and the attending squeezed her hand reassuringly. Hannah continued to stare at her with those wide brown eyes. Her gaze fell to Izzie's swelling belly. "Is that going to be your new son or daughter?"

The question was simple, but there was a slight barb of accusation in it. Izzie didn't know what to say, so Addison stepped forward. "Yes, Dr. Stevens is going to have a baby, and yes, Hannah, it will be your half-brother or sister, by blood." Izzie admired the way Addison was careful not to make Hannah feel like she had any emotional connection to the new baby.

Hannah simply nodded, then winced. Meredith put a hand on her shoulder. "Try not to move your head too much, Hannah."

The little girl paled even more than she already was and closed her eyes. "Tired now," she mumbled.

Izzie nodded and then said, "I'll be back down later to check on you, Hannah."

"If you want," Hannah replied, opening her eyes again. "You don't have to, you know, after you sign the forms."

"I want to," said Izzie firmly. "That is, if you do."

"I don't really care," said Hannah, reclosing her eyes. "I've lived without you this long – I don't really need a new relationship with a mother I never knew. By the way, thanks again for the bone marrow."

Izzie gulped and left the space, whisking the curtains shut behind her. She headed towards the bathroom just off the hallway, leaning over the toilet in a lurch and vomiting profusely. Addison was right behind her, rubbing her back. "Okay, okay, sweetie . . . take it easy."

When Izzie was finished, Addison led her to a bench and sat her down. She went back to the bathroom and wet a paper towel, handing it to Izzie, who mopped her face weakly. "I thought morning sickness was supposed to happen in the mornings only," Izzie said, trying for an attempt at humour. Addison frowned.

"I'm going to run an ultrasound on you. Are you having any cramps, any pain?"

Izzie shook her head irritably. "It was a shock, Addison, but it wasn't that big of a shock. The baby's fine, see?" She placed Addie's hands on her belly and Addison's face changed as she felt the baby kicking against her warm hands. "She feels her mommy," said Izzie softly, smiling.

"Okay. But I still want to run an ultrasound on you. Come on." Addison pulled Izzie to her feet. Izzie winced as her feet gave out a twinge of sharp pain. "Ouch."

"I know you're tired, sweetheart. You should take a break. Weren't you supposed to meet your friends for a late supper in the cafeteria?"

"Shit . . . yes. I'd better go." Izzie started off at a fast walk, knowing that if she ran, Addison would freak out. "George was going to hold the table."

"Okay. Eat lots of protein; it will keep your energy up."

"Yes, Dr. Montgomery," said Izzie, rolling her eyes and getting into the elevator. At the last minute, Alex Karev slid in beside her and hit the opposing wall. He turned to her with a cocky grin as she burst out laughing.

"Nice, nice, Karev. Very graceful."

"Yeah, it's the only thing keeping me out of the figure skating circuit. How are you, Dr. Model?" He grinned at her and cast a look down at her belly. "How's the little model?"

"Causing me to throw up everything I put into my stomach," Izzie quipped. "But otherwise fine. Getting bigger, weighing more, making my feet hurt . . ." She eased from foot to foot. "How's plastics?"

"Nightmarish. Mark Sloane's been a bear since Addison put out your wedding invitations three months ago. He takes it out on me, you know. Nothing I do, not even a simple stitch, is right. Just want you to know that you and your wife are the cause of all the misery in my life," Alex replied, winking at her.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you had your chance with me a year ago, Karev; you chose a slutty nurse," said Izzie, spreading her hands and shrugging, a devilish grin on her face. Alex punched her shoulder gently and the two laughed heartily, spilling off the elevator together and into the cafeteria, where Cristina Yang, George O'Malley and his wife Callie were sitting. Cristina had her textbooks out, as usual, and George and Callie looked to be arguing again. However, this time they looked like they were kidding, so Izzie breathed a sigh of relief. Conspicuously absent was Meredith.

Izzie sat down and handed Alex a twenty. "Wanna get a pregnant lady some food, Karev?"

"Anything for my favourite gynie resident," he shot back. "But watch out – I might get you egg salad."

"The horrors!" Izzie laughed and turned to the table. "How's everyone today?"

"I have no idea how you can remain bright and shiny when you're heavily pregnant with swollen feet and a constant upset stomach," said Cristina dryly. "Really, it's got to be a talent." While she snarked, Cristina's hand found Izzie's belly and stroked it with uncharacteristic gentleness. Izzie smiled at her. She knew that Cristina was all bark and no bite, even after Burke had left for Washington State Catholic Hospital less than five months ago.

George kicked back in his chair, the seat leaning dangerously back. Callie put a strong hand on the chair back and mimed an apt-listener face as he announced, "Well, I think that it's great that Izzie can keep her mood up. The baby will be happier."

"And you know so much about it, Dr. O'Malley, whose residency is in gastroenterology?" Callie giggled and looked at Izzie a bit shyly. "George thinks he knows so much now that we're trying, too."

Izzie smiled politely back at Callie. There was still frostiness between them, but Izzie had found that Callie was a lot warmer towards her now that she was with Addison and they were having a child. George had really cracked down – he'd had them re-mark his intern exam when he'd found out he was one point under the passing score. He'd gotten his pass and now he was a resident under Bailey, enjoying the choleocystectomies and bowel obstructions that came his way. He was surprisingly good at it, and was more confident than he'd ever been. However, he was still aloof towards Izzie and Izzie was aloof towards him – they didn't want to revive old flames between them, and they knew they could never have the closeness that they had once had.

"Where's Meredith?" Izzie asked now, taking a sip of her green tea and smiling at Alex as he placed her favourite tuna salad in front of her and dropped the change onto her tray. Alex yawned and sat down. "Who cares? Frankly, I'm amazed that we're all here at one time anyway. These residents and attendings are running us off our feet." He yelped as George kicked him, motioning with his head towards Callie, who simply laughed. As Chief Resident, she really didn't care for first-year residents' complaints.

"Shut up, O'Malley, we all can't be doing the damn boss," Alex said irritably. "In fact, that's probably why you got back into the program after all, isn't it?"

George stood up warningly, but Callie pulled him back down. "Give it a rest, guys."

Meredith came running up to the group breathlessly. "Izzie, I need you. You need to come up to MRI. There's something on Hannah's scan you're going to want to see."

Izzie immediately dropped her sandwich. "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

Izzie stretched out her legs as she shifted on the hard chair inside the OR gallery. Below, Meredith and Derek Shepherd were masked and gowned and peering inside her estranged daughter's brain. They were surrounded by interns, including Lexie Grey. The situation was grave, but Derek was the best. Izzie was sure that Hannah would pull through.

Izzie's eyes intermittently welled with tears that she had to blink away. She'd paged Addison, but the busy attending was in her own surgery right now and it was just pure luck that Izzie herself wasn't being called to do surgery on a labouring mother.

Hannah's MRI had been extremely upsetting – the bleed in her brain was huge and Derek had paled when he'd been called by Meredith to look at it. He had obviously been filled in on the relationship between Hannah and Izzie, because he'd turned to the blonde resident and said, "I'll do everything I can, but I'm not promising I'll be able to get it all in one surgery. She may have complications." He'd run a hand through his thick dark hair. "I hate these kinds of bleeds. Half the time it's not just one source, but even three or four."

That had been two hours ago. When Hannah had been told about the surgery, she hadn't even reacted. "Did you sign the forms?" was all she said, blinking her dark eyes sleepily at Izzie.

Izzie had hesitated. "I don't know if I can sign the forms, Hannah. I'd need permission from your parents."

Hannah had shifted painfully in the bed, crying out a little. "Well, how urgent is this surgery? Because you're not going to be able to call them for two weeks. They're in Kenya and they're unreachable. I'm staying with my friend's parents." She'd blinked back tears then, although Izzie had pretended she didn't notice. Her heart went out to this small, hurt waif in the bed.

"Do you know if they allowed your friend's parents to take responsibility for things like this?" Izzie felt bad asking, because Hannah already had enough to think about with all of her injuries. However, Hannah looked up and answered her in detail.

"No, they didn't say anything about that. I suppose we could call them . . ." She frowned, thinking, not knowing that she looked exactly like Izzie when Izzie was concentrating. "But they're in Cuba. They've left us with Hayley's grandmother. Hayley's my friend." She cleared her throat and put a hand to her head. "I don't know if the grandmother can help, either . . ." Hannah sank back against her pillows, closing her eyes.

Izzie nodded and made to leave the room to talk to Legal, but the little girl spoke again. "My parents told me that if I ever came to Seattle Grace Hospital, I should ask for you. They said that you were a doctor and could probably help me somehow." She opened her eyes. "Personally, I don't care what you do. Maybe you should talk to Hayley's grandmother. She's in the waiting room, I think. I mean, you are my . . . mother. That's got to count for something, right?"

Izzie shook her head. "Not necessarily, Hannah. I'm not your legal guardian. However, this is an emergency. I'm going to talk to Legal and see what I can do. If I can't sign the forms, we may have to get in touch with your friend's parents in Cuba. I'm surprised your parents didn't leave a contact number," she said, almost under her breath, as she turned away from Hannah. The little girl's voice blew out angrily.

"Well, next time they have the money to install telephones in Kenya, I'll make sure to get the number. The best you can do is contact the embassy down there. But it might take weeks for my parents to even get the message. They could be back in the States by then."

Hannah glared at Izzie. "You know, you're not helping like they said you would. There's something WRONG with me. Why aren't you helping me fix it? You're a doctor . . . and I thought you'd help me. You know, for other reasons." She closed her eyes again. "Come back when you have some answers for me."

Izzie opened her mouth to utter a sharp retort, but she bit it back, remembering that this was a twelve-year-old girl and she was under a lot of stress. She simply left the curtained area, blinking back tears, and ran smack into Meredith, who was on her way to examine Hannah.

"Iz, did you figure out this consent form thing? She's got to get into the OR soon. That bleed is massive and I'm worried about leaving it longer than I have to." Meredith ran a hand through her characteristically tousled hair. "Can we get in touch with her parents?"

"No, apparently we can't. They don't have telephones where they are and calling the embassy and leaving a message is a bad idea, according to Hannah. They could be back in the States by the time the message gets to the village. She doesn't think that her parents left guardianship privileges with the people she's staying with, and apparently they're in Cuba and she's being looked after by the friend's grandmother. The whole thing smacks of stupidity, in my opinion," snapped Izzie. "So I'm off to Legal to see what I can do. Have you spoken to the grandmother?"

"Yeah. She doesn't really seem to understand what's wrong with Hannah and I'm wondering how senile she is. Seriously, who leaves their kids with someone who isn't completely lucid? I wonder what the Killearns would think of the people their daughter's staying with buggering off to Cuba for a vacation. Lord." Meredith sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "Tell me what Legal says and we'll get her in. I'm more than a little stressed about this situation."

Legal had said yes, but there had been stipulations that Izzie had tried to ignore. She had a feeling that Hannah's parents would just be glad that their daughter was okay. Legal had suggested just doing the surgery, since it was an emergency, and having the parents sign the form when they got back to the country. Izzie had simply nodded, and within no time Hannah had been properly prepped for surgery.

Addison came through the gallery doors, looking tired. When she spotted Izzie, she glided over to the chair beside her and sat down with a sigh. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"Stressed out. You know, I never thought I'd have to take responsibility for Hannah after I signed the papers turning her over to the Killearns. Now, if she dies on that table, her parents will come after me with a carving knife because I let this surgery happen without their knowledge. And as Murphy's Law would have it, it's a complicated procedure." Suddenly, Izzie started to cry, hard. She turned her face into Addison's shoulder and the attending began to rub Izzie's back, kissing her blonde hair.

"Oh, babe . . . I think you should lie down for awhile. I'm a little worried about the amount of stress you're under. Sitting here watching this is not doing anything good for you or for the baby." Addison's concerned blue eyes found Izzie's teary brown ones. "Come on. You'll know what happens either way."

Normally, Izzie would have protested against this, but since it was Addison, she gave in. "Okay," she whispered, and stroked her belly, where she could feel the baby kicking hard against her. "I'm tired anyway."

They went down to the on-call room, where Addison stayed to tuck Izzie under the covers. She continued to stroke Izzie's ponytail, looking at her with such love that Izzie held out her arms to her wife and Addison laid down beside her, cuddling close. The two lay, forehead to forehead, eyes closed, the baby between them. Izzie had no idea what she would do without Addison; what she had done without the red-haired attending for so many years. She gently placed a kiss on Addie's lips, and had it returned softly. The two fell asleep.

Three hours passed and Derek put in the last stitch, wiping his forehead in relief. "There. Now, we wait to see if she needs a second surgery or not. God, I hope not." He turned to Meredith and gave her the special smile he reserved just for her. "Good work, Dr. Grey."

Meredith smiled back at him and walked out of the OR. "Izzie will be pleased. That went a whole lot more smoothly than I expected."

"Well, thanks to you and me, of course." He cast a quick look over his shoulder and then stole a kiss from Meredith. "I've decided that nothing surprises me anymore. Addison and Izzie get married and have a baby, Izzie's long-lost daughter needs brain surgery, you decided to make me sleep on the couch last night . . ." He grinned at her impishly.

"Hey!" Meredith punched him playfully on the shoulder. "I only did that because you had an early surgery and you were the one that lost the wax earplugs I gave you . . . and who would have been complaining about how tired he was the next morning because I kept him up all night snoring?"

Derek grinned at her. "Fair enough." He stole another kiss and she giggled as they went down the hall towards Izzie, who was waiting anxiously beside Addison outside recovery.

"Well, she made it through and it went really smoothly. I managed to stop all the bleeding that I could find, but it will take a little while to see if she'll need a second surgery. She's under a lot of stress – I heard that she has more than just this injury."

Izzie nodded, looking tired. "Yeah, Bailey has to fix the abdominal injury, and Dr. Torres is going to re-set her bones. She's got a long road ahead."

"And she'll have to stay here for awhile. I would say at least three weeks, if not more." Derek shook his head. "Poor baby." He turned to leave.

Meredith gave Izzie a sympathetic smile and patted her on the shoulder as she went by. Izzie sighed and slumped onto a bench. "Well, her parents will have to be contacted."

Addison nodded. "We can call the embassy first thing tomorrow. Now, I want to run some tests on you. Let's go. I'm not taking no for an answer," she said, grinning at Izzie mischievously. "You don't have a choice, Dr. Stevens."

Izzie was too tired to argue, so she just nodded. "Okay."

Addison took her down to Maternity and steered her into an exam room. "Let's see how things are going." She hooked the ultrasound belt to Izzie's belly and squirted cold blue gel over the taut skin. Izzie gasped. "That's cold!"

"You knew it would be. Stop pretending you don't know these things," said Addison severely, but she smiled at Izzie and Izzie grimaced back at her playfully. Addison swept the wand over Izzie's stomach and her face softened as the grainy, pulsating image appeared on the screen.

"There's our baby," said Addison softly. The knocking sound of the Doppler filled the room, the baby's rhythmic heartbeat strong and sure. "That's a great-sounding heart." Addison switched the wand to her left hand and took Izzie's hand, squeezing softly. "Look – she's sucking her thumb." Sure enough, the image showed the baby sucking on its thumb and kicking its legs a little.

"She?" asked Izzie, her voice carrying a hint of tears. Addison smiled. "I don't know for sure. Look for yourself – I don't see any hint of manhood, though." She turned the screen and Izzie looked hungrily at the image. She raised a trembling finger to stroke the outline of the baby's head and the tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Addison let go of Izzie's hand to stroke her hair. "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah . . ." Izzie's voice was choked and she cleared her throat. "I don't think it's a boy, either," she said, trying to sound professional. "Which means that I'm right." She grinned through her tears at Addison, who laughed.

"Yes, you're right. You win." Addison leaned forward and kissed Izzie softly. "In fact, we both win."

Izzie closed her eyes and leaned in towards Addison, tangling her hands in Addison's hair, pulling her closer, across her swollen belly. "I cannot wait for this child to come," she whispered.

Addison held her close. "I can't wait, either."


	4. Chapter 4

Izzie walked purposefully down the hall, her hair tied up in a swinging ponytail and her blue scrubs bulging quite prominently at the belly. She was just finishing her rounds, and about time, too – she had wanted to see Hannah for the last hour, but things kept coming up. She looked over her shoulder, placing a hand on her belly as the baby kicked joyfully against her ribs. She was normally happy to feel the baby kicking, but today, with her current frustration, it was just annoying and sore.

"Grey!" Izzie barked, catching Lexie Grey in her annoyed gaze. "Can you tell me why this floor is in absolute chaos this morning? 2409 ran out of IV fluids, 2405 had a catheter backup, and 2411 was in twice the amount of pain any person should have inside a hospital because someone forgot to check on her pain meds! Grey, you know that the nurses are busy – that's where you come in. Honestly, do I have to speak to Chief Webber? Because you're just not cutting it lately." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Seriously, Grey, get it together!"

Lexie blushed miserably and nodded. "Sorry, Dr. Stevens. I'll keep a better eye on things. Are you – are you feeling okay?"

Izzie looked up from a chart and sighed in exasperation. "What, Grey?"

Lexie looked even more nervous. "I just asked . . . if you were feeling okay?" Her voice, small and subdued, went up on a hopeful note.

Izzie shook her head in disbelief. "If Dr. Montgomery is asking you to spy again . . ."

The intern blushed again and Izzie had her answer. She took a deep breath, ready to send a stinging message back to Addison, but then took a second look at Lexie and changed her mind. "You know what, Grey – take five. Go find a coffee or something. You look dead on your feet." She grinned at Lexie. "I'll deal with Dr. Montgomery myself."

Lexie gave her a smile in return and scampered off. Izzie grinned again to herself and pressed the button for the elevator. Floor 5 – Peds.

As she stepped onto the elevator, George O'Malley came stumbling up. "Hold it!" he barked.

"George? What's your problem today? God, it seems like we're all exhausted. What's your excuse? I don't see you carrying around a 20-pound belly." Izzie stared at George quizzically.

George ran a hand through his hair. "I'm exhausted. I've done two surgeries this morning alone – and I've got three more scheduled for the rest of the day. It's like everyone's got some sort of gastric disorder. And Bailey's on the warpath again – no one knows why. I think it might be because she's having an issue getting Tuck into the daycare she wants. Who knew that daycares were as exclusive as universities?"

Izzie nodded sympathetically. "I've just done some research on schooling, myself. Addison, of course, wants to send our daughter to some private high-class institution. I want her to have a Catholic education – Addison's Catholic, too, so that's not an issue. But I also want her to mix with kids that aren't rich little pampered brats. Addison didn't speak to me for an hour when I told her that – seems she was one of those aforesaid little brats," mused Izzie, grinning a bit.

George laughed. "Well, you'll just have to watch what you say, I guess," he teased. He placed a gentle hand on Izzie's stomach, and despite herself, Izzie felt a frission of desire go through her, which was quickly quashed when she imagined Addison naked, her blue eyes alight with lust, her ivory hands sliding over Izzie's chest . . .

Izzie blinked twice and smiled at George, who had just asked her a question. "What?" she said, trying to cover up the blush spreading across her cheeks.

"I asked you, so you found out the sex of the baby?" George asked again, his hand still on Izzie's stomach. As if summoned, the baby kicked and Izzie gasped. She pulled away.

"Yes, it's a girl . . . we're both very pleased." She smiled brightly at him. "How about you and Callie? You have any luck yet?"

George sighed impatiently. "Callie doesn't tell me if she misses her periods. I don't know if she is or not. I want to be involved," he said, raising blue eyes to Izzie's brown ones. "But she's very private that way . . . she tells me I won't understand." He grinned slightly. "I mean, I am a doctor. But apparently, I guess having a penis sort of makes all that not matter."

Izzie looked at him sympathetically. "I think she probably just doesn't want to upset you if she turns out to be wrong. You know how Callie hates to be wrong," she quipped, rolling her eyes a little.

George nodded. "Yeah." The elevator dinged. "This is me. Keep me posted on the little one's progress, okay? And take it easy . . . Izzie." As he said her name, something flashed in his eyes, and he turned to go. The elevator doors slid closed and Izzie drew a sigh of relief. The tension between her and George was almost unbearable these days. She was mostly over him – but sometimes, the desire would overwhelm her when she caught one of his gentle looks or smiles.

The doors slid open at Peds and Izzie walked out, wincing a bit at the pain in her feet. She really should get new shoes – she pulled out her BlackBerry to make a note of it. As she did, the device beeped – it was a new text from Addison.

"Hey sweetheart, take care of you and the little Peanut. Make sure to take your rest! I will meet you for coffee at 1500. Love you, Addie."

Izzie grinned and stowed the phone away. She waved at the nurses and stopped Meredith as she came out of Hannah's room. "How's she doing?"

Meredith grinned at Izzie. "Hey, Iz. Well, she's hanging in there. It's been almost two weeks – she's doing really well. I guess her abdominal injury's almost healed up, and Callie says her leg and arm are doing well. She complains of headaches, but that's normal after a craniotomy. Have you heard from her parents yet?"

Izzie shook her head. "No, and I expected to by this point. When I called the embassy yesterday, they said that they hadn't made contact with the Killearns for at least a week – they're apparently off their radar. I called the church – they said the same thing. I'm a little worried; to be honest . . . they should have told the embassy that they're coming home. They're due to be home in two days."

Meredith frowned. "Well, hopefully everything's okay. Did you get ahold of her friend's parents?"

Izzie nodded. "Yeah. They came back from Cuba and have been visiting when they can. However, they're also worried about Hannah's parents. Apparently, they don't know who her guardian is if something happens to the Killearns. We had a long chat yesterday – Hannah's grandparents are all dead, and her father's sister lives in Australia." She ran a hand through her hair in distraction. "I'm more than a little worried at this point. I chose the Killearns because they seemed to be stable. I guess I wasn't thinking about what would happen to Hannah if something happened to them."

"Well, don't jump to conclusions. They could be just out of reach right now. I'm sure they're okay. And Hannah's sure of that, too," said Meredith, giving Izzie a meaningful look. "I wouldn't mention anything to her."

Izzie nodded impatiently. "I know that!"

Meredith smiled at her and continued down the hallway. Izzie turned and stepped into Hannah's room.

The little girl was dressed in printed children's pajamas, hospital issue. Her left leg and left arm were both in casts, which were covered in bright signatures from the children on the ward and from the two friends that had come to see her. Her head was bandaged and she had all manner of IVs in her arms. She also had a catheter – her abdominal injury had done damage to her bladder, so she would have to have one until the bladder healed. Izzie alone knew about the embarrassment that this caused Hannah – catheters had a tendency of backing up and causing horrible cramping. Hannah had ended up soaked after her catheter had backed up yesterday – although she couldn't help it, it was as bad as wetting her bed, and she was still embarrassed about it.

Izzie had been there to help her out – she'd been as professional as possible. Hannah was used to embarrassment – after all, she'd been through cancer treatment – and she rarely cried. However, this had made the tears come to her eyes, which she'd tried to hide from Izzie. She wouldn't let go of Izzie's hand, though.

Hannah was still cool towards Izzie. They hadn't discussed anything about the adoption or Izzie's life, and Hannah never asked about the pregnancy. She did know about Izzie and Addison, and told Izzie frankly that she thought that the resident was brave to have a relationship with a woman. Izzie, who hadn't expected that reaction or understanding from a twelve-year-old, had had to run into the bathroom to hide the tears. Hannah had been raised strict Catholic, which was what Izzie had wanted and why she had chosen the Killearns, an Irish-Catholic couple (who were also apparently missionaries, although they hadn't been at the time Izzie had chosen them) who were very religious. The reaction was extremely surprising and Izzie felt a rush of gratitude and affection towards Hannah's tolerant parents.

Despite the coolness and occasional anger Hannah displayed towards Izzie, she had made small steps towards a relationship with the resident. She now smiled when Izzie came to see her, and was more willing to have polite conversations. She seemed to appreciate it when Izzie came, and if the resident couldn't make it up to Peds that day, she'd ask where she was. However, Hannah referred to Izzie as "Dr. Stevens" or "Isobel", and rarely, if ever, touched her hand or arm.

Izzie was getting over it – after long talks with Addison, which were basically comprised of things that she already knew, she was less upset when Hannah rejected her. Addison had been remarkably understanding about the whole thing, holding Izzie when she cried, discussing the same things over and over, and even checking up on Hannah's progress when Izzie couldn't make it because of surgeries. Izzie thanked God everyday that Addison was in her life.

Now, Izzie smiled at Hannah, who smiled back. "How's it going today?"

Hannah shifted uncomfortably. "Not bad. The pain's about a five. I don't start screaming until it's a ten." She grinned at Izzie.

Izzie laughed. "You're very brave. I start screaming when it's a four."

"How are you going to ever have that baby, then?" Hannah said, making her first reference to Izzie's pregnancy since they'd met. Izzie looked down at herself. "Lots of drugs, I guess."

Hannah dropped the subject. "So, have you heard from my parents yet? Meredith said that you were going to call them yesterday, when you couldn't come up here."

"I did call, but the embassy didn't get back to me. I hope they'll call today," said Izzie, lying easily. She did not want this little girl to experience more pain than she was already in, and crying made Hannah's stomach hitch painfully. They were trying to wean her from the morphine, so the less pain she felt, the less medication she would need.

Hannah nodded assent. "Yeah, sometimes it takes awhile. The last time they went to Africa, they were a week overdue to come home."

The two talked some more about the children on the ward and the nice nurses when Izzie's pager went off. She looked regretfully at the page. "It's Addison's 911. I guess I've got a surgery." She got up and stretched painfully. "I'll try to come see you later."

Hannah nodded again, but the little spark that had appeared in her eyes when Izzie had come in the room went out. "If you're busy, don't bother. I'm okay up here."

Izzie opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and simply patted Hannah's hand. She left the room.

Addison was waiting for Izzie on the Maternity floor. "Mrs. Smith is hemorrhaging, Stevens! Who the hell let her get up? That C-section had complications!" She looked really angry and Izzie felt her welcoming smile slide off her face.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath. "Where's Lexie Grey?"

As if on cue, Lexie appeared around the corner. Izzie gestured angrily at her. "Grey, who let Mrs. Smith walk around? She's only supposed to walk short distances and she is to be supervised at all times!"

Lexie gulped. "Oh, no . . ."

"You let her get up? Don't you read charts, Grey? Honestly, you are nothing like your big sister . . ." Addison snapped, grabbing the chart out of Lexie's hand. "See? It says "supervised bathroom privileges". Not "Boston marathon privileges"! It doesn't even say "hall privileges"!" She ran a hand through her red hair in frustration. "You know what – just go. Find Bailey. Maybe she'll reassign you. No, wait. I'll page her." She pulled out her BlackBerry and typed furiously. Izzie simply glared at Lexie and waved her to a bench beside the nurses' station.

In five minutes, the small, bustling form of Miranda Bailey was visible at the end of the hall. "You paged, Dr. Montgomery?"

"Yes, I did," snapped Addison, clearly in no mood. "Your intern has caused this patient to hemorrhage because she can't read charts. And this isn't the first time she's messed up, Miranda. Patients go without pain meds, they've been left unattended for hours at a time – do you think that I haven't been keeping an eye on my surgical floor? Dr. Stevens makes detailed reports about Grey, which I assume you've been getting. I don't want to go to the Chief about this, but I can't have someone this incompetent in OB-GYN." She fixed Bailey with a steely blue gaze. "Deal with her, or I will."

She turned on her heel and clacked away down the hall angrily. Izzie gulped – she knew she'd be getting it later for not talking to Bailey sooner. Bailey herself bristled, much like a hedgehog does when threatened. "Is this true, Stevens, Grey?"

Lexie began to cry on the bench and Izzie had to steel herself from joining her. "It's true. I told Grey this morning that if she didn't shape up, I'd be going to the Chief."

"Grey! What the hell is your problem? Explain yourself!"

Lexie's chest hitched and she cried harder. "I . . . I don't know. I'm so tired, and other residents page me, and I have to run to them, and I just don't seem to have enough time for everything . . ."

"Wait a second. Other residents are paging you? What?" Bailey's face was a study in confusion. "When you are assigned to a resident or attending, Grey, you stick to that assignment!" 

"I know, but they say that Meredith was able to multi-task and that I should, too. And they say that they'll go to the Chief and complain if I don't help . . ."

"Who's been saying this?" Bailey looked thunderous. She shook her head at Lexie. "Listen, Lexie, I'll be talking to the Chief about this. They may have more rank than you, but they cannot threaten you like this. I don't care how tough they want you to be, or how much like Meredith they think you should be." She put a hand on Lexie's shoulder. "For now, you take orders from Dr. Stevens or Dr. Montgomery, and that's it."

Lexie gulped and tried to wipe her tears away. "O-okay."

Bailey left and Izzie collapsed on the bench beside Lexie and put her arm around the shaking girl. "I wish you had told me, Lexie."

"I'm sorry," gasped Lexie. "You have enough to do and I thought –"

"Shh," soothed Izzie. "It's okay now. Just relax. Go and take a break. I'll explain to Addison, okay?" She stroked Lexie's hair, just like Meredith's, back from her tearstained face.

Lexie nodded and gave Izzie a small watery smile, leaving. Just then, Izzie's BlackBerry rang. The caller ID said, "Embassy".

Izzie walked to the waiting room and answered the call. "Dr. Isobel Stevens."

"Dr. Stevens, we have news about the Killearns – it came through the wire an hour ago."

Izzie waited with bated breath for the man's next words.


	5. Chapter 5

Izzie stood frozen in shock in the waiting room. "Wh-what did you say?"

The man's voice on the other end of the phone seemed to be coming from far away. "Our department has sent a team of people into the field to try to find the Killearns, but like I said, Dr. Stevens, they haven't made contact with us in five days. We've lost them before, but never for this long – and never without at least some idea of where they are. The villagers said that they'd moved to a smaller village a week ago – since then, we haven't found a trace of them. Africa is dangerous, Dr. Stevens. I thought you should be prepared."

Izzie swallowed against a dry, tickly throat and struggled not to gag. "Are you telling me that we may never know where they are?" She closed her eyes against the sudden burning of tears. This could not be happening.

"Ma'am, there's a good chance that that very thing may happen. What I want you, and their daughter, to know is that we are doing everything we can. We have search and rescue teams combing the village's area. We have members of our department on call twenty-four hours to make sure we don't miss any news. We are going to do what we can to get them home."

Izzie nodded, even though the man on the phone couldn't see her. She swallowed again unsuccessfully. "So, what do you want me to tell Hannah?"

"Dr. Stevens, I can't advise you. All I'm authorized to tell you is what I know about the Killearns. I'll keep you posted on whatever news we receive."

Izzie hung up the phone and pressed two fingers on either side of her nose. She swallowed again, but this time her gag reflex won and she ran into the bathroom across the hall, dry-heaving into the toilet, tears streaming down her face.

When she was finished, she slumped against the wall and wiped her mouth weakly. The very fact that the parents that she had chosen, had hand-picked for her daughter, might never come back was almost too much for Izzie to contemplate. It had been HER responsibility to find parents for her child, to keep her safe, happy and healthy. So far, she seemed to have failed at everything. She screwed her fists into her eyes and began to sob.

Addison passed the bathroom on her way to a patient's room and heard very familiar gasping sobs. Her face softened from its annoyed look into concern and she knocked on the door. "Izzie?"

Izzie scrubbed a hand across her face and pushed open the door to reveal Addison, dressed in an expensive blue skirt and white top with her signature black Manolos and white lab coat. Her hair was pulled up loosely into a bun and she wore her glasses. Her blue eyes were sympathetic and worried as she knelt down in front of Izzie and brushed back a blonde tendril of hair out of the resident's teary face.

"Oh, what happened, sweetie?"

In response, Izzie stretched out her arms to Addison and began to cry again. Addison managed to sit herself next to Izzie, despite the bathroom being small, and took the girl into her arms. "These hormones are really playing up, aren't they?"

Izzie nodded, but raised her head and said, "That's not what's going on, though. I just got a call from the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, Addie."

Addison's arms tightened around Izzie involuntarily. "Any news about Hannah's parents?"

Izzie turned and looked at Addison, who already knew the answer. "They can't find them. They haven't heard from them for five days. They have search and rescue teams combing the area." She sighed shakily and looked down, sobs apparent in her voice as she said, "What am I supposed to tell Hannah? She asks me every day if her parents have called yet. This is going to break her heart. Addie, she's already so hurt. So hurt. And now I have to tell her that we can't find her parents. That they may never find her parents. Oh my God . . ." She gasped, her chest hitching. "I can't handle this . . . I can't handle this!" She began to hyperventilate, clutching her belly.

Addison immediately gripped Izzie's shoulders and turned the resident towards herself, giving Izzie a firm shake. "No. You do not get to freak out right now. You have a responsibility to your daughter – she asked you to help her. You do not get to make this about you. This is beyond your control." She bored her blue eyes into Izzie's wild brown ones. "You don't get to put yourself and the baby in danger right now. You are a professional – act like one."

Izzie's hitching breaths immediately stopped and she simply stared at Addison, a look of shock frozen on her face. Then, the shock faded and determination took over. With Addison's help, Izzie got to her feet. "You're right. I've got to help Hannah get through this." She put a hand on the bathroom door and then turned back to Addison. "Addie . . . what will I say to her?"

Addison looked steadily at Izzie. "She's a down-to-earth little girl. She doesn't appreciate beating around the bush. Tell her the truth. She's strong, but she's going to need you."

Izzie nodded and left the room.

-

Exiting the elevator on Peds, Izzie ran into a harassed-looking Meredith, who threw her head up and squealed in recognition. "Izzie, thank God, I was just about to page you. Hannah's been driving everyone nuts in the past hour, asking where you are. Seems you told her you'd come up and tell her about her parents. You'd better get in there – she's like a wounded tiger."

Izzie nodded and made to move past Meredith, but the neuro resident stopped her. "Iz, what is it?"

"Hannah's parents are lost and the U.S. Embassy hasn't heard from them in five days. I have to go and tell my estranged daughter that her real parents might never come back." Izzie's voice was devoid of all emotion. "She's recovering from a craniotomy, abdominal surgery, and two broken bones. She's just gone into remission from leukemia. Tell me, how does she deserve this? How does one little girl deserve all the crap the world can throw at her?"

Meredith's eyes filled with tears and she squeezed Izzie's shoulder. "God, Izzie . . . I am so sorry."

Izzie turned and put a hand over Meredith's cold hand on her shoulder. "Well, I'd best get to it, I suppose. I have a high-risk C-section in half an hour."

Meredith nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Izzie shook her head. "No. I think this is something I'll have to do alone. And I think Hannah will want as few people as possible watching her receive this lovely little tidbit of news."

She continued down the hall and pushed open the door of Hannah's room. Despite Meredith's report that she was anxious to see Izzie, Hannah was asleep, her baby face smooth and untroubled. Izzie hated herself for what she was about to do to this little girl's life. She walked over and sat beside the bed, putting her hand over her daughter's small, cold one.

Hannah awoke with a start – there was really no way to wake the little girl up without startling her. Izzie instantly apologized, but Hannah waved her good hand in the air dismissively and fastened her eyes onto Izzie's face. "Did you call them? Did you hear?" was all she said, not even bothering with a "hello".

Izzie took Hannah's good hand in hers and cleared her throat. Immediately, Hannah's face closed and her eyes became defensive. Fleetingly, Izzie's heart twisted at the life circumstances that had led Hannah to react that way in times of bad news. Izzie's eyes filled with tears, despite her resolve to be strictly professional.

"Hannah, I just got off the phone with the U.S. Embassy in Kenya. Apparently, your parents moved from the main village where they were stationed to a smaller, more remote village about twenty miles away. This happened about five days ago. They did inform the Embassy that they were moving to that village, but since then, they haven't heard anything about whether or not your parents reached the village. They have scouts searching the area, but as of right now, there is no sign that your parents were in either village, and no one can figure out where they are." Izzie swallowed and looked Hannah straight in the eyes that looked so much like her own. "They don't know anything more than that, but they're doing everything they can to find your parents."

Hannah said nothing and didn't take her eyes from Izzie's. Her whole body stiffened up and her face became completely devoid of emotion. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth, then closed it.

Izzie's heart broke for the little girl. "Hannah?"

"They're fine. They've done this before – they take chances that others don't take. They've been lost before. The Embassy always finds them. Always." Hannah's voice was hard and flat, and very, very quiet. "They've always come back. The Embassy just has to tell you that they can't find them."

"Hannah . . . sweetie, they aren't finding anything. The locals aren't telling them anything." Izzie knew she shouldn't be saying this to a little girl, but Hannah's face demanded the truth. She couldn't sugar-coat it. "They told me to be prepared."

Hannah's face didn't change, but her voice grew a little louder. "It doesn't matter what they say. They said that last time, too. They keep hoping if they say it, my parents will stop going. They don't understand what it is to be called by God. They don't understand that my parents are doing more good than they ever could. They'll come back. They always come back." Her voice cracked and she suddenly gasped. "They will come back, Isobel. They will, they will." Hannah's face crumpled and she began to cry.

Izzie leaned forward, tears running down her own face, and took the little girl into her arms. Hannah's body was stiff and unrelenting, but Izzie began to rub her back and rock her gently back and forth, murmuring under her breath. Although she was ripped apart by Hannah's sorrow, part of her thrilled to be holding her daughter in her arms at last.

Hannah relaxed into Izzie's arms and Izzie felt Hannah's good arm clasp around her. The little girl's shaking shoulders eventually calmed and she laid her bandaged head against Izzie's shoulder, hiccupping a little. They said nothing and Izzie tried not to remember that she had a surgery. She pulled Hannah gently closer, watching the girl's injuries. Hannah was resting against Izzie's chest and belly, and if on cue, the baby kicked. Hannah practically jumped away from Izzie, as if she'd been burned.

Izzie reached a hand towards Hannah, but the little girl settled herself back against her pillows and determinedly closed her eyes. "I'm tired now, Dr. Stevens."

"Okay, sweetie. I'll come back later and keep you updated." Hannah didn't respond and Izzie took it as her cue to go. Almost as soon as she got out of the door, her pager exploded in a 911. It was Laura Greene, her high-risk C-section. Izzie swore under her breath and ran into the elevator.

Cristina Yang was leaning up against the side of the elevator, reading a chart, and she barely looked up as Izzie stumbled in. "You want to watch yourself, Izzie; you wanna lose that baby?"

Izzie rolled her eyes. She was not in the mood for Cristina right now. "I've got a 911. I'm trying to get down there before I have to call the janitor to clean up spilled baby all over the floor."

"Ugh, I never was one for the gynie squad, even though the surgeries were cool. As it happens, I'll be scrubbing in with you. Laura Greene's got a heart murmur and they need a cardio resident to keep an eye on the surgery, according to Addison." She waved at Izzie. "So you get to hang out with me." She smiled. "Should be a good time."

"Nothing about this day is good," Izzie grumbled under her breath as they got off at the OR floor and went into the scrub room. Izzie tied a cap on her head, washed her hands and grabbed a mask, only to swear loudly as her bladder started to ache. "Dammit! I'm already scrubbed in! I hate being pregnant!" She cursed again and ran into the bathroom as Cristina snickered and went into the OR.

Laura Greene was a young mother pregnant with twins. However, she'd had a rough pregnancy and was suffering from toxemia, which made things ten times worse for the babies. Izzie smiled reassuringly at the woman as she made the first incision in the C-section. "You'll have beautiful babies soon, Laura." Cristina gave her a nod and she proceeded with the C-section. She worked the first baby out of the incision and tried not to gasp in horror at his twisted, swollen and blue little face. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. She called to her intern. "Grey, deal with this, please." Lexie took the baby and audibly gasped, which caused Laura to jerk. "What's wrong with my baby?"

"He's not breathing, Laura. We're going to get him to breathe," said Addison, going to the woman's head and looking calmly into her eyes. "Dr. Stevens is delivering your other son."

Izzie worked the second baby from the incision – this child was pink and healthy, opening his mouth in a wail. "Your son is in perfect health, Laura," she called over the drape. Addison nodded at her imperceptibly and she went over to where Lexie was still working on the first little boy. The baby wasn't breathing. He lay cold and still on the table. Suddenly, Izzie pushed Lexie aside and began to work on the baby herself. "Come on, come on," she muttered between breaths. The baby remained blue and Izzie's heart sank. She redoubled her efforts to save the child.

Izzie's world dissolved and nothing else mattered but saving the little baby on the table in front of her. She worked and worked, shrugging off Lexie's timid suggestion that they should call time of death, not noticing that the mother and second baby had been taken out of the OR and that the cleanup crew were starting to scour the room. She didn't notice anything until Addison came and put a hand on her shoulder. "Stevens, he's gone. You have to call time of death."

A tear slipped behind Izzie's mask as she shook her head violently. "No, I can't just leave him here! There's still a chance –" She shrugged Addison off and the attending put a firmer hand on her shoulder. "Stevens. He's gone. There's no chance. It's been twenty minutes. You did everything you could. He was dead to begin with."

Izzie stifled a sob and pushed on the newborn's chest once, twice more. Then she bowed her head and ignoring the stricken look from Lexie Grey, gasped, "Time of death – 17:42."

Leaving the little blue baby on the table, she turned and ran out of the OR, pulling off her scrub cap and mask as she went. She knew Addison was right behind her, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting away from people before she hurt someone else.

Blindly, she found the on-call room and ran in, smacking the door closed behind her. Almost immediately, it opened again and suddenly she couldn't smell or feel or see anything but Addison. Addison put her arms around her – Addison cuddled her close, Addison whispered into her hair and rubbed her back right where it ached from having stood with a pregnant belly bearing on her spine all day. Suddenly, all she wanted was Addison and she turned into her, sobbing.

"Today has been a truly shitty day," Addison whispered to her. "You have been so brave, so strong – you have been asked to do more than most people could handle today. You have earned the right to break down."

Izzie's sobs grew softer as she listened to Addie's soothing velvety voice. "However, you do not get to believe that everything bad that happens is your fault. Izzie, look at me." Izzie raised her head and met Addison's sympathetic, wonderful eyes. "You can't control the world. You can't make bad things not happen to good people. You can't always save babies. It's not fair – it's not right. But it's the way it is. You are such a wonderful person. But this job will break you if you let it. You need to distance yourself, Izzie. It's a lesson you will have to learn. And you're going to have to make a decision about Hannah, because she's going to need everything you can give her. If you can't give that to her, you need to step away, now. You can't keep getting emotionally involved unless you're in it for the long run."

Izzie nodded once, twice, and then shook her head. "I can't ask you to understand this, Addie. You do a good job of listening and sympathizing, but this time, you can't truly understand. She's my kid. This is shit that affects her. It affects me, too. Everything she does affects me. You can't ever give away a kid forever."

Addison hugged her more tightly. "Fair enough. But please – don't forget about your other daughter, either." She laid a hand on Izzie's belly. "She needs you as much as Hannah does. I need you, too."

Izzie nodded and sniffled, reaching for a Kleenex. "Today's been shitty."

"Yeah." Addison lay down on the bed and pulled Izzie down with her. "Let me make it a little better." She twirled a hand around Izzie's curly bangs and Izzie moved towards her wife, cuddling close against her, putting her hands on her belly. "Make it better."

Addison smiled and kissed Izzie deeply. "Consider it done."


	6. Chapter 6

"No one," announced Izzie, "should have to do five surgeries a day when they're seven months pregnant."

She was standing at the door of the ensuite bathroom adjoining her and Addison's bedroom. Izzie had just showered, so her hair was wet and full of ringlets, and her body encased in a white terry bathrobe. She looked extremely tired and like she was carrying a beach ball where her formerly flat belly had been. Even so, Addison was still turned on. She got up from her dressing table where she had been doing her hair and went to her wife, kissing Izzie softly on her lightly-parted lips. "You're so wonderful. You have more energy than many pregnant women – you're doing great."

"I'm fat and my ankles are swelling," grumbled Izzie. "It doesn't matter how brilliant I am or how much energy I have. I look horrible and I feel like a beached whale." She pushed Addison away and waddled to the walk-in closet, opening the door. She stared glumly inside, trying to decide what to wear. "Not that it matters," she muttered. "I'll only have to put on scrubs anyway."

Addison came up behind her and twined her lithe white arms around Izzie's shoulders. "You look sexy in anything you wear. You're sexy even when you're pregnant and hormonal and grumpy. Mmm . . ." She began to kiss the side of Izzie's neck and nibble on her ear.

Izzie turned around and opened her mouth to tell Addison to leave her alone, once and for all, when Addison captured her protest with an open-mouthed kiss. "You were saying?" she murmured, trailing her tongue over Izzie's neck and moving her hands to Izzie's bottom.

Izzie suddenly smiled and let her wife gently shuck off her robe. "That I want you to go away. And leave me alone . . . ohh . . ." Goosebumps rose on her skin as Addison knelt in front of her, catching the ruby of her nipple in her white teeth. She began to nip her softly, tracing her tongue around the areola of Izzie's breast. Izzie began to moan in pleasure. "Addison . . . oh, my God . . ."

"Keep going," whispered Addison, moving further down Izzie's stomach, bypassing the rounded belly, plunging deeper into the blonde resident's nether regions. "Tell me you want me gone . . . tell me not to come back . . ." She slipped her tongue between Izzie's slick folds, working around her clitoris. Izzie dug her fingernails into Addison's shoulders. "Christ, Addison!"

Addison delved more deeply, her fingers on Izzie's nipples, the tip of her tongue performing wonders. Izzie arched her back and her moans turned into a scream as she came. It was all Addison needed to come herself.

They flopped onto the bed to catch their breath. "You know," whispered Izzie, turning to face Addison. "This officially makes us late for work. And you're going to have to change, dirty girl."

Addison grinned. "I know," she said, leaning forward to kiss Izzie. "It's worth it." She leaned back, sighing in contentment. "Hannah gets released today, doesn't she?"

Izzie's smile got brighter. "Yeah, she does. I think everything's ready for her. Did you remember to make up the bed in her room?"

Addison nodded. "Everything's under control. Although, I hope her parents get found soon and she won't have to stay with us long."

It was officially two weeks since Hannah had found out that her parents were missing. So far, nothing had turned up, although the search and rescue team from the Embassy had found out that the Killearns had been in the remote village. However, the trail had then petered out – the locals weren't saying what had happened to the American couple and information from any source was hard to come by. Surprisingly, Hannah had been taking it well. She hadn't cried since the day she received the news, and had worked at getting better and getting to leave the hospital, which she understandably hated. Her friend's parents had been leery about taking her for a long period of time, and since the Killearns had named no official guardian for Hannah, Izzie had taken matters into her own hands and gone to the court, petitioning for temporary custody of Hannah. Her relationship with Hannah was growing, steadily but surely, and she knew Hannah would have to go into foster care if no one stepped up to take her.

The judge had been surprised – situations like Hannah's were extremely unusual. He had been very hesitant about letting Izzie take custody, because Izzie was the birth mother and also because of Izzie's soon-to-be-born child. Also, much to Izzie's disgust and annoyance, he had been leery of sending Hannah to a house with a lesbian relationship. However, there really was no other choice and no one else to take her, so he had granted temporary custody. The state had sent a social worker over to Addison and Izzie's home to assess it and found it okay, so the spare room had been made up for Hannah and the little girl had been alerted to the situation. She had seemed okay with it – well, as okay as a child who had potentially lost her parents could seem. She had thanked Izzie, and had worked harder in physical therapy to regain the use of her limbs before it was time to go to Izzie's.

Izzie and Hannah could laugh and talk together now. Hannah still called Izzie "Isobel" and was still often cold with her, but she had told Izzie that she looked forward to her visits each day and had even said that she was looking forward to staying with her and Addison for awhile. She would not mention the baby, make physical contact with Izzie unless she had to, or talk about her injuries much. She mostly asked if Izzie had any news about her parents, although she never talked about how she felt about their absence. The nurses had told Izzie that Hannah sometimes cried at night, which broke the blonde resident's heart. She was glad that she could keep a better eye on Hannah now that she would be in the same house as Izzie.

Addison seemed indifferent to the fact that Hannah was coming to stay with her and Izzie, but Izzie knew that she was just trying to get used to the idea. Addison was always very supportive of Izzie's decisions, and Izzie knew how hard it was for her to get used to the idea of Izzie having a daughter already. She also knew that she would have to give Addison attention, too. Sometimes, thinking of pleasing everyone and still trying to do the best for her unborn baby made Izzie tired and stressed out. It was true – Izzie sometimes gave a lot more than she had. However, she acted for the best and she felt, honestly, that this was the best thing she could do. She was personally extremely excited that Hannah was coming, and she tried not to think about what she would do when Hannah's parents were found. She resolved to build a relationship with her daughter so that when Hannah did leave, she would have another person to turn to in times of need and support.

Izzie walked briskly down the hall of the Maternity floor, looking for Lexie Grey. Hannah was getting released in twenty minutes and she needed to run out to sign the discharge papers and settle Hannah at home with Addison, who had taken the afternoon off. Lexie was nowhere to be found, however, and despite Izzie's resolve to be less hard on the fragile intern, she found herself getting severely annoyed. Interns needed to be where they were assigned – otherwise, what good were they? Izzie sighed in frustration – she'd paged Lexie three times already.

After searching the whole floor, she found Lexie coming off the elevator, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "I'm sorry, Dr. Stevens," she said immediately, knowing that she was in trouble. "I was asleep and didn't hear my pager."

Izzie could sympathize – she'd often slept through her own pages as an intern, much to Bailey's annoyance – but Lexie knew that today was an important day and she hadn't been on call last night, so she couldn't be that tired. She sighed. "Lexie, come on. Do you want Richard on your ass? Because seriously, you're starting to show me that you obviously cannot do this job. Even with the extra support that's been given to you, you're just not improving. Please don't make me go to the Chief. Please." She looked into Lexie's suddenly-teary eyes and felt awful. "Come on. I need you to keep an eye on my patients while I run Hannah home. Dr. Colette, the other OB-GYN, is on call, so if someone is 911, you can page her and she'll help you. I won't be long, anyway – probably about an hour or so."

Lexie nodded and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "Okay, Dr. Stevens. I'm glad Hannah's well enough to go home." She gave Izzie a shy smile and Izzie smiled back. "See you soon."

She got onto the elevator to make her last trip up to Peds, hopefully. Hannah was doing really well – Callie had taken her arm cast off yesterday, pronouncing her sound. "That's it, Miss Hannah – you've officially regained the use of your left arm. You'll have to do PT, of course, though," she'd smiled, giving Izzie a friendly wink. Izzie was amazed how much her and Callie's relationship had changed. The ortho surgeon was a lot of fun.

Hannah's leg cast had to stay on for another two weeks, though, since her leg had been quite badly broken. Her head was completely healed, although she was going to have to take it easy for the next few weeks, according to Derek. "Keep her quiet and resting – she'll have to anyway," he'd told Izzie. "She'll be okay, though." He'd winked at Hannah. "That brain's too smart to be sick!"

Her abdominal injury was also healed, and her catheter had come out the day before. However, since she'd had the catheter so long, she had to retrain her bladder, which unfortunately meant that she had to wear pull-up diapers until she could regain full control. She had crutches, so getting to the bathroom shouldn't be too hard, but she would probably require some help with everything. Hannah had said nothing about this, but Izzie knew she was severely embarrassed, especially since she wasn't used to Addison and Addison would be helping her a lot with everything. It was just something they'd have to get used to.

As Izzie exited the elevator, she smiled as Meredith fell into step beside her. Hannah had been one of Meredith's favourite patients, so it wasn't surprising that she'd come to say goodbye to her. "So Hannah's gone today, huh?" Meredith said, smiling up at Izzie.

"Yep, discharge day. And not a moment too soon, according to the nurses. I guess Hannah's been really restless lately. I'd hate to be in the hospital for a month, too, though," Izzie replied.

Meredith nodded. "So I hear. It's weird to think she'll be coming home with you and Addison. I suppose I never really thought about her ever coming into your life or whatever. What will you do if she's still there when you go into labour?"

Izzie shook her head dismissively. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." They arrived at Hannah's room and the little girl snapped up her head and smiled when she saw them walk in. "Time to go?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep, time to go," said Meredith, coming over and sitting on the edge of Hannah's bed. "Izzie will help you get dressed and sign the papers, and then you'll be someplace other than a hospital bed." She reached over and stroked Hannah's hair. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Dr. Grey," Hannah replied. "But you're one of Isobel's friends. I'm sure I'll see you over at the house sometimes, right?" She looked up questioningly at Izzie, who was in the process of signing the discharge papers. The resident looked up. "Sure, Meredith can come to see you."

Hannah smiled at Meredith. "Thanks for all your help, Dr. Grey." Meredith smiled back and gave Hannah a hug. "Take care of yourself, sweetie."

Meredith left the room and Izzie smiled at Hannah, closing the door. "Well, let's get you dressed and get out of here," she said brightly. Hannah nodded and pointed to the bag beside her bed. "My clothes are there – Nurse Fogerty helped me pack them this morning." She leaned forward, peering into the bag as Izzie set it on the bed. "Maybe my pink shirt and jean shorts?"

"Okay," said Izzie, and pulled them out. She turned her back as Hannah yanked the hospital pajama top off and put her shirt on, then helped Hannah stand up and slipped her pajama bottoms off, pulling her shorts on over her cast. When the little girl was dressed, Izzie handed Hannah her crutches and hoisted the bag up on her shoulder. "Have you got everything?"

Hannah nodded. "I think so. It feels good to get out of those hospital clothes," she said, smiling. Izzie winced a little as her feet twinged and they got on the elevator after Hannah said goodbye to all the nurses at the station. The elevator ride was short and soon enough, they were in the car and driving home. Hannah stared out the window, not saying much. She still looked very tired and Izzie knew she'd probably need a nap when they got home.

"Addison's home this afternoon, so if you need anything, just call her," Izzie said, looking down at Hannah. The little girl turned her head towards Izzie. "You won't be there?"

Izzie shook her head. "Sorry, I've got surgery this afternoon. I'll be home, hopefully, around seven. Addison will help you with anything you need." Hannah's lower lip trembled a little, but she got it under control. Izzie looked at her with concern. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, don't worry about it," said Hannah, her voice nonchalant. Izzie knew she was thinking about how she was going to get to the bathroom on time or move around the house. "Hannah, don't worry," Izzie said. "If you want me to stay home, I can cancel my surgeries."

"No, no. I'm tired anyway, I'll probably just sleep." Hannah rolled her head back to rest against the headrest. "My head kind of hurts."

Izzie nodded and said, "You can have some Advil when we get home." They turned into the driveway and Izzie parked the car, getting out to open Hannah's door. Hannah was doing well with the crutches – she swung herself up to the door without a problem and waited for Izzie to open it. They came in and Addison came to meet them at the door.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling. "Welcome home. Hi, Hannah."

"Hi, Addison," said Hannah quietly. Izzie exchanged a concerned look with Addison over Hannah's head and put the bag down at the door. "Let's get Hannah settled, shall we?"

"Sure," said Addie, turning towards the stairs. "Your room is all set up, Hannah."

Hannah nodded, and swung forward, but then stopped as she looked at the stairs. She hadn't tried the crutches on stairs yet. "Um . . ."

Addison stepped forward. "I didn't think of that," she said ruefully. She gently slid her arm under Hannah's legs and put her other arm behind Hannah's back, picking the little girl easily up in her arms and carrying her up the stairs. Hannah looked surprised, but she was really too tired to argue, so she settled her arms around Addison's neck and Izzie followed with the bag and crutches.

Hannah's room was pretty plain – both Izzie and Addie were assuming that she wouldn't be there long. As soon as Addison put Hannah down, Hannah swung over to the queen-sized bed and sat on it, yawning widely. She looked at Izzie and said, "Can I put on my pajamas?"

Izzie nodded and Addison left the room, shutting the door behind her. Izzie helped Hannah undress and then settled her into bed. Almost immediately, Hannah closed her eyes. "Thanks, Izzie," she mumbled. Izzie smiled at the use of her nickname and gave Hannah a little hug. "I'll be back later, sweetie. Call Addison if you need her – she'll be in her study. It's down the hall. I'll leave the door open a little bit."

Hannah just nodded, already falling asleep. Izzie snuck out and went down the hall to where Addie was seated at her desk, tapping away on her laptop, her red hair twisted up with a pencil. She looked up at Izzie and grinned. "She sleeping?"

"Yeah, she's pretty tired. Listen, Addie, she'll need help getting to the bathroom and stuff, she just got her catheter out. You'll be up here, right? And you'll call me if there's a problem? Remember, she's had some Advil for her headache, but she might need some later. And she'll need dinner at around 5ish or so. And – " 

"And nothing, sweetheart – remember, I know how to look after a patient." Addison smiled and got up from her desk, taking her glasses off. "She's gonna be fine. And when you come home, she'll be glad to see you." She took Izzie in her arms and gave her a warm hug.

"She's more than a patient, though," Izzie mumbled into Addie's shoulder. "I just worry. She gets so embarrassed and stuff."

"It's an embarrassing thing to be sick. You know that yourself," said Addison. "Don't worry. Get back to the hospital – you've got surgery at three."

"Right, right," said Izzie, going down the stairs. "I'll see you soon."

Once she was back at the hospital, she found Lexie and told her she could scrub in on the C-section Izzie had at three. Lexie didn't look as happy as Izzie would have expected – in fact, she looked a little upset. Izzie shrugged it off – she had work to do.

Standing in the scrub room, Izzie tied a scrub cap on her head and began to wash her hands vigorously. Lexie did the same, but hesitated about taking off the gloves she'd been wearing. Izzie was annoyed. "Come on, Grey, we don't have all day," she snapped, stress about Hannah adding sharpness to her words. "Hurry it up."

Lexie slowly drew off her gloves, avoiding Izzie's eyes, and turned the water on, gingerly putting her hands under it. Izzie saw why in an instant – Lexie's arms were covered in dark red cuts. She raised shocked eyes to Lexie, who turned her face away and began to gingerly wash over her cut-up arms.

"Lexie," said Izzie, her voice hesitant. Lexie looked at Izzie, anger flashing for the first time in her eyes. "Don't say it, Dr. Stevens. I'm fine."

Izzie closed her mouth and put on a mask. "This isn't the end of this, Lexie," she promised, going into the OR. Lexie snapped on a fresh pair of gloves and followed her in, saying nothing, but her mouth was in a firm line.

The C-section went well – the baby was a little premature, but otherwise healthy. The mother was content and healthy, kissing her little girl tenderly on the head. Izzie's eyes filled with happy tears – with only two months left, she felt births more than she had before she was pregnant. She couldn't wait to hold her own daughter in her arms.

The day wore on, but she didn't have time to talk to Lexie about what she had seen, because the intern made herself scarce, checking extra-diligently on her patients and always managing to be in mixed company when Izzie found her. Izzie debated whether or not to tell Bailey about what she had seen. She decided to ask Addison.

When Izzie pulled into the driveway at the end of the long day, she smiled suddenly with joy. Although she loved to come home to Addison, she was even happier to come home to Hannah. It just seemed right.

She got in the door and Addison met her, kissing her deeply and holding her close. Izzie appreciated the hug and smiled as Addison bent to kiss her belly, talking to the baby inside. "Welcome home, sweetie. Did you have a good time helping Mommy at work?"

Izzie stroked Addison's soft red hair. "How's Hannah?"

Addison straightened up. "She's doing okay. She slept for most of the afternoon and has been pretty quiet, reading her book. She didn't call for me at all, actually – which means, of course, that she had an accident. I found out about that later when I took her down for dinner and her pull-up leaked. Maybe she'll ask you for help."

"Well, she's just getting used to being here. She's uncomfortable with everyone . . ." Izzie gave Addison a warm hug. "We'll have to make sure she gets to the bathroom regularly. I'm sure she was awfully embarrassed when you had to help her change."

"Yes, she was. She wouldn't look at me, actually, and I heard her crying when I left, but it had to be done." Addison ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I left dinner for you in the oven."

"Thanks, love." Izzie was already halfway up the stairs. "I'm going to go and check on her." She turned into Hannah's room and smiled – the little girl was asleep in the half-light, _The Chronicles of Narnia_ open on her lap. Izzie gently removed the book and tucked Hannah in a little more securely. She left the room, still smiling.

The baby kicked as she walked down the stairs, down to her wife and to her waiting dinner. Izzie felt overjoyed for the first time in many days.

Somehow, even though she knew it couldn't last – this was just right.

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	7. Chapter 7

Night had fallen softly over Izzie and Addison's house. At 3 am, everyone was in their proper places and thankfully, asleep. It had been a horrendously long day for both women, since there seemed to be a lot of September babies being born in the latter days of the ninth month. Addison had dryly quipped that it could have something to do with the fact that everyone gets drunkenly knocked up on New Year's in the last C-section, which caused one of the scrub nurses to leave in high dudgeon because somehow, that comment had upset her. Izzie had simply rolled her eyes – if she wasn't allowed to be hormonal at nearly nine months pregnant, no one was.

The guest room was still occupied by Hannah – the search and rescue teams seemed to be giving up hope. Addison, Izzie and Hannah had not received any news now for close to a month, and Izzie had secretly sent letters to Mr. Killearn's sister and her family to start making funeral arrangements. Laconic as ever, the little girl hadn't said much about the situation, but Addison had heard sobs after she and Izzie put the twelve-year-old to bed at night and she'd ensconced herself in her study. They both had decided it was best to leave Hannah be and let her get through it on her own, but Addie knew that it was extremely hard for soft-hearted Izzie to not turn around and comfort her daughter, no matter how estranged she was.

Hannah was almost completely healed – she walked with a slight limp still and experienced occasional headaches, but otherwise she had gone back to school and life was progressing as normally as it could, under the circumstances. Her bladder and abdominal injury had completely healed, and Hannah no longer had to wear diapers, which was a relief for all three of them. Hannah had been too embarrassed to ask for any help from Addison or Izzie, so it wasn't a surprise to find that she'd wet her pants or her bed in the early days. Izzie had, at one point, asked Addison in frustration how having an accident saved Hannah any more embarrassment than just asking for help, but Izzie herself was stubborn, so it wasn't a surprise that her daughter exhibited the same characteristics. Now, the little girl was once more completely in control of herself, so the silent war had stopped.

Izzie wasn't able to move around as much as she had been able to in the past – if Hannah had had trouble getting to the toilet on time, Izzie certainly was having extreme difficulty herself. She now waddled up and down the hospital corridors, yelling at stray orderlies and interns to get the hell out of her way before her bladder burst. Her feet and ankles were constantly swollen and her back killed her almost constantly. Her maternity leave started in another week, and Izzie couldn't wait to get home and rest. She was hormonal and moody a good amount of the time, which made life hard for Addison. However, Addison was used to pregnant ladies, so she simply treated Izzie with the gentle professionalism she exhibited to other clients of hers. Unfortunately for Addie, Izzie hated what she called Addison's "fake compassionate attending" attitude, so she tended to get even bitchier. It definitely was a tense time in the household.

However, there were bright moments in the constant rainy mood – just that day, Addison and Izzie had sat down with the 10,000 Baby Names book and picked out names for their little girl. Addison had built a crackling fire in the drawing room fireplace, Izzie had made white hot chocolate and Hannah had been invited to take part in the discussion, even though both doctors thought she would refuse and lock herself in her room. Surprisingly, she had smiled and accompanied them downstairs, leaning forward eagerly at each suggestion.

Addison had flipped the pages of the book, frowning in concentration as she read out names. "What about Alice?"

Izzie immediately shook her head. "Too old lady." Hannah had nodded. "Seriously."

"Okay . . ." Addie adjusted her glasses. "Bethany?"

"Way too Christian," Izzie spat. Hannah had looked at her in surprise, and then said, "It is kind of Christian, Addison. Bethany sounds too goody-goody." Izzie nodded emphatically in response. Addison had laughed a little at the identical expressions on the pair's faces.

"Fine, fine. How about Katie?"

"I like Katie," said Izzie, nodding her head slowly, but Hannah shook her head. "It's too common. Everyone's a Kate, Kat or Katie." Both women nodded as they considered the wisdom of this idea.

Izzie sighed irritably. "How about you let me look at the book?" Addison shook her head playfully and snatched it out of Izzie's reach, knowing that the pregnant resident wouldn't be able to move fast enough to snatch it back. Izzie pouted and settled back on the couch cushions, turning her nose up and away from Addison. The attending had simply shaken her head and continued flipping through the book.

Suddenly, Hannah piped up. "What about Elaine?"

"Elaine? I don't know about that, Hannah," said Addison, wrinkling her nose up. "It's a bit sixties." Izzie suddenly kicked her under the table as Hannah's face fell and she turned her head away from Addison. "I think Elaine is a nice middle name, Hannah." The little girl looked brighter and got up to put her cup in the kitchen. When she had left the room, Izzie hissed, "That's her mother's name!"

Addison blushed miserably. "I didn't know . . . shit," she muttered under her breath. Izzie rubbed Addie's knee. "You couldn't have known, but we've got to be a little more careful when we veto her suggestions. She's just stopped crying when we turn out her lights at night."

Hannah came back into the room. "I've got it," she announced. "Talia. You should call her Talia."

Addison nodded and smiled in agreement. "I like Talia, Hannah. It's a beautiful name." Izzie also nodded in agreement. "I could go for Talia."

Hannah beamed. "Great! Now we just need a middle name . . ." She looked expectantly at the two women as they grinned. Addison said, "Rose. Talia Rose Stevens-Montgomery." She smiled happily again. "Tally for short."

Hannah had clapped her hands, the most animation that she'd shown all day. "It's a beautiful name." Her voice dropped a little as she asked Izzie, "If you had kept me – I mean, if you'd decided to, what would my name have been?"

Izzie's hand had crept into Hannah's for a split second. "Sarah. Sarah Elizabeth Stevens."

Hannah nodded. "Sarah's a nice name. But I'm glad it's not mine," she said abruptly, getting up and heading for the door. "Thanks for the hot chocolate." With that, she was gone, up the stairs to her room. Izzie simply shrugged and cast a pained look at Addie. "She's so moody still . . . I suppose it's understandable."

"Sweetie, she's pretty much lost her parents, the ones that did want her and had the privilege of naming her. She's still getting used to living her life with us; plus, she's just gotten over horrific injuries and brain surgery. Give her time."

Izzie had moved to Addison's love seat, snuggling against the attending's shoulder and enjoying the feel of Addie's warm arms around her. "You're right."

That had been that afternoon – now, in the middle of the night, Addison lay awake, having been startled out of sleep by something that she couldn't pinpoint. She listened carefully, past Izzie's rhythmic deep breathing and occasional snore, past the sound of the wind in the eighty-year-old maples outside her window, past the sound of the dishwasher swishing faintly through its cycles. As she listened, the sound came again. It was the soft heartbroken sobbing of a child, and Addison knew immediately that Hannah was taking out her grief on her pillows. She slipped noiselessly from the bed and padded down the hall towards Hannah's room.

When she got to the door and pushed it open, she found that Hannah had opened her blinds so that the moonlight could come streaming in. It outlined Hannah's small form, curled into a fetal position under the covers, and her clasped hands resting beside her tearstained cheeks. She was praying in an unintelligible whisper. Addison slipped into the room, her white silk robe swishing softly around her legs, and sat down on the bed beside Hannah, saying nothing. The little girl looked up, her teary eyes wide and startled, then settled back against her pillows and tried to stop crying.

Addison put her hand on Hannah's back and began to rub it soothingly. Hannah and Addison had a slightly formal relationship, so Addie was not expecting Hannah to stretch out her arms for comfort. However, Hannah secretly admired the elegant red-haired surgeon, and was simply embarrassed most times to be found as anything but in perfect control of herself and her emotions. She snuggled against Addie's shoulder, letting herself be quieted by Addie's soothing words and warm back massage. When she had finished crying, she didn't feel like she had to explain herself, as she did with Izzie. She felt like Addison just knew what was wrong, and she found that she was correct when Addison whispered, "I can't even imagine what you must be going through, Hannah, sweetie. I lost my mother a few years ago and it was the worst thing that I ever experienced. I can't imagine what it must be like to not know what happened."

Hannah nodded and thrust herself back from Addison, staring earnestly into her face. "That's exactly it," she hiccupped, looking exactly like Izzie when Izzie got this upset. "You understand," she said, sounding amazed, and then settled back against Addison, her thumb finding its way into her mouth, although she'd given up thumb-sucking years ago.

Addison continued to rub Hannah's back and hold her close until she felt Hannah start to relax. Then, she laid the little girl down in her bed and covered her warmly, stroking her hair gently until Hannah's eyes closed. When she was sure she was asleep, she crept back to her own bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Morning always comes early to a surgeon's household, and Addison's and Izzie's was no exception. At 6:30 am, they were both up and about, Addison heading to the shower, Izzie heading to Hannah's room to wake her up for school. As Izzie came into Hannah's sun-filled bedroom, she spotted the sash of Addison's robe lying on the floor beside Hannah's bed. She picked it up and put it in her dressing robe's pocket, frowning slightly.

Hannah was already awake – she just didn't want to get up yet. She moaned and turned over onto her stomach, groaning, "Five more minutes, Izzie, please? I didn't sleep that well last night." She cocked a brown eye at Izzie, seeing how she was taking it. Izzie shook her head good-naturedly. "Come on, buddy, time to get up. It's already 6:45 and you need to have a shower before you go to school, since you skipped it last night."

Hannah grumbled, but she got out of bed and went obediently towards the shower, grabbing a towel on the way. Izzie found her way back to her own bedroom, meeting a naked Addison as she came out of the ensuite bathroom. Addison grinned wickedly. "Good morning, sunshine," she said, twining her arms around Izzie's neck. Izzie wasn't in the mood, however, and pushed Addison away. "Were you in Hannah's room last night?"

Addison looked surprised as she shimmied into panties and snapped on her bra. "I was, yes – she was crying," she said, rolling on deodorant. "Is that okay?" She looked concerned.

"I guess so," said Izzie, looking a bit hurt. "Why didn't you wake me up? I could have gotten her."

Addison chose her next words carefully, her face partially closed. "Well, it's hard for you to get up at night now, with the pregnancy, so I thought I'd give you a break. She was okay in about ten minutes. Just grief about her parents," she said, her voice carefully casual.

"Yeah, but she's my daughter, Addie. It's my job to give her comfort," said Izzie, her tone starting to get confrontational. "I would appreciate it, in the future, if you'd just wake me up. I can deal with her myself, thanks." She scowled at Addison, who, between her fatigue from getting up in the middle of the night and her annoyance at constantly being the target of Izzie's hormonal rages, took offence.

"Excuse me for doing you a favour, I guess! God, Izzie, will you lighten up? I'm not trying to encroach on your motherly duties, here. I heard her crying, I got up to deal with it. That's all." She sounded extremely annoyed, her voice rising. "You can just calm down, okay?"

That was it – Izzie was done, her temper ignited. "Calm down? Calm DOWN? You try being nine months pregnant, Addison, and tell me how calm you'll be when you can't walk or hell, even go five minutes without peeing! But no – you can't get pregnant, so you'll never know! How does it feel to actually fail at something for once?"

She knew she had gone too far when Addison's face fell and she turned away. "I'll see you at work," came Addison's voice, sounding cold and faint. "Have a good day."

Izzie suddenly felt horrible. She went up to Addison, who was tying the top of her blouse into a fashionable knot, and put her arms around Addie's stiff shoulders. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she whispered. "I'm a horrible, awful wife, and I don't deserve someone as amazing as you."

Addison was a sucker for Izzie's sweet words, so she turned around. "I know, Izzie. I just wish sometimes that you'd choose your words more carefully. I would have carried Tally, you know. I would have done it in a heartbeat, and you know I think you're so brave for doing so."

"I know, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Izzie leaned forward and kissed Addison on the lips, sweet and soft. "I'll make it up to you." She started to trace circles around Addison's nipples under the soft white silk. Immediately, Addie's nipples hardened and she pulled Izzie closer to her. "Oh, you will, will you?"

"Mmm. I'll let you be as mean as you want to me," Izzie whispered, kneeling awkwardly at Addie's feet, her belly causing her to rock a little off-balance. She ran her fingers under Addison's expensive panties, reaching down to touch Addison's soft hair and then her slick folds. "Sure would be a shame if these pretty panties got dirty," she murmured, looking up at Addison and sliding the underwear down Addison's legs.

"You're right," Addie murmured back. "But I'm a bad girl . . . I just might mess them up." Her hands twisted in Izzie's curls and she moved her wife's head closer to her private parts. "Maybe you can help?"

Izzie didn't reply, her tongue busy making tiramisu around Addison's clitoris. Addie shuddered with the rising desire. "Ohh . . . you ARE making up for being a bitch," she muttered, digging her fingernails into Izzie's head.

Izzie felt herself getting wet and smiled, barely touching Addison's G-spot with her tongue. She knew it was the best way to get Addie to come, and come she did, with a perfectly inelegant little scream that made Izzie come relatively violently herself. Addison helped her to her feet and they shared a long kiss.

"Am I forgiven?" asked Izzie, resting her head on Addie's shoulder. Addison smiled and kissed Izzie again. "Only if you promise that I get this treatment every time you're hormonal."

"Done. Now, let's finish –" Suddenly, Izzie grimaced, stopping mid-sentence. Addison looked at her strangely. "Izzie?"

Izzie grimaced again. "Um, Addison . . . what do they say about having sex during your ninth month of pregnancy?"

"It carries a certain risk of starting premature labour – oh, no." Addison put a hand on Izzie's stomach. "They're probably Braxton-Hicks, sweetie."

Izzie nodded and they finished getting dressed. However, just as Izzie picked up her shoes, she grimaced again. "I don't think so, Addie. That was seven minutes since the last one."

"Tell me again in another seven minutes and we'll see if you should stay home from work today."

Hannah met them at the door to the kitchen. "Can I have pancakes?" she asked.

Just as Izzie was about to answer her, she grimaced again and checked the clock. "Seven minutes, Addie."

"Okay. I'll tell the Chief that you're going into premature labour and drive Hannah to school. Then, I'll come straight back home and we'll see how things go. It is premature labour – it may stop on its own. If not, we'll have to do an ultrasound."

Izzie nodded and settled back to wait for Addison's return.


	8. Chapter 8

Izzie was upstairs packing her suitcase when Addison ran up breathlessly, Hannah at her heels. "Hey, you two – what's the deal?"

"Okay, so I called Meredith – she's not working today, so she says that she'll pick Hannah up from school if the labour goes longer than the school's dismissal time. Then she'll bring her to the hospital. I can't help deliver you, but you put me down as your coach. Did you choose someone else for the second person allowed in the delivery room?"

Izzie laughed, amused at Addison's rapid-fire delivery. "Calm down, sweetie. I've done this before. No, I didn't choose a second person – I did that because I want to be able to choose who comes in and out of the room. I booked a private room, like you told me – are you sure about that? You know it's freaking expensive."

"Do you really want to be labouring beside someone else?" Addison pushed a hand through her red hair and gave Izzie a skeptical look.

"No," Izzie admitted. She finished packing the suitcase and heaved it up onto the bed. As she did so, a contraction hit and she doubled over. "Ooooh. They're getting stronger."

"And closer together," said Addison, checking the bedside clock. Hannah, forgotten until this point, gave Izzie a slightly frightened look as the resident's face drained of colour during the contraction. Izzie caught the look and straightened up. "It's okay, Hannah. This is supposed to happen." She tried to give Hannah a comforting smile.

Addison remembered the little girl standing behind her and turned around. "Come on, Hannah, sweetie. I'm going to run you to school. Have you got everything?"

"I think so." Hannah turned to go, but then turned back and went over to Izzie, who was sitting on the bed. "Good luck, Izzie," she said, and gave Izzie a warm smile. Izzie smiled back and spread open her arms for a hug. After a moment's hesitation, Hannah gave her a short hug and Izzie looked incredibly happy. Addison smiled at them both and then took Hannah downstairs.

As soon as Addison got back from the short drive to Hannah's school, she ran back upstairs to where Izzie was lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed and she looked extremely peaceful. Addison came and sat on the side of the bed, running a hand over Izzie's forehead. "How's it going, sweetie?"

Izzie opened her eyes. "They're five minutes apart now. We don't need to leave until they're three minutes apart." She winced as another contraction took her. "I think I want a bath."

Addison went into the bathroom and ran a bath in their large claw-footed tub. She helped Izzie undress and supported her as she walked into the bathroom. Izzie dipped a foot into the bath and yelped. "Christ, Addie, did you have to make it so hot?!" She turned on the cold water. "Do you want to boil our baby?"

Addison rolled her eyes. "Many apologies." She swished a hand through the water, trying to spread the cold water through the bath. When Izzie stepped in the second time, she said nothing, so Addison knew that the bath passed inspection. The blonde resident slipped down into the water, closing her eyes and submerging her belly. "Ahh. That feels so much better."

The two sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the sound of the early morning birds and the water lapping gently against the sides of the tub when Izzie shifted. Izzie, eyes still closed, spoke softly, so that Addie had to lean forward to hear her.

"Addie . . . do you realize that this is probably the last time that we'll get to sit and just be a couple? After Tally is born, we're going to be so focused on her, we're not going to get too many moments like this. And if Hannah stays . . . I guess I'll miss these times. I don't know if I'm ready for this, actually," she said, opening her eyes. "I gave away my first kid. Who says I'm ready for another one? Who even says I deserve one? I feel the same way that I felt twelve years ago when I had Hannah. I don't know the first thing about kids. Why did I ever feel that I was ready?" A contraction took her and she winced again, crying out a little. "Oh, my God . . ."

Addison grabbed her hand and held it until the spasm had passed, checking her watch as she did so. Still five minutes apart. She murmured soothingly until Izzie's face smoothed out. Then she said, softly and calmly, like she would to any other labouring mother, "Everyone has cold feet when they have a baby, Izzie. That doesn't mean that you're not ready or that you won't be a good mother. Yes, when you had Hannah, you weren't ready to have a child. Who is ready at sixteen years old? Who has the life experience or the patience to be a mother when they're that young? I'm sure some people are able to change their lives drastically, but most teenagers aren't. You proved that you were mature enough to want what's best for her by giving her up. It was the right decision – look at her now. She's a wonderful, compassionate little girl and she has so much empathy and morality. And this time, with Tally, it's different. Because you're not sixteen years old and you're not doing it alone. I'm here and I am committed to this. You're not going to have to struggle to raise our daughter, because between the both of us, we can give her everything she'll ever need."

Izzie looked up at Addison, tears in her eyes. She grabbed Addie's other hand and said nothing for a minute. "You know, this is why I love you so much," she mumbled finally, kissing Addison's nimble fingers. Addison ran a hand through Izzie's hair and they shared a gentle kiss, broken by another contraction. Izzie groaned again. "God, I don't remember them hurting this much," she gasped.

"You were a lot younger then," replied Addie, massaging Izzie's back. "You've got to breathe through them, sweetie." She kicked off her slippers and rolled up her pants, settling herself behind Izzie. As Izzie's contraction peaked, Addison drove her fist into Izzie's lower back, kneading it until the spasm passed. There were tears on Izzie's cheeks when she was out of pain enough to look up at Addison. "How did you know to do that?"

Addison smiled. "Years of experience."

They both looked up at the clock, which Addison had brought in from the bedroom. Still five minutes apart. Izzie brought her hand in frustration down on the water. "I'm getting tired of this already. Can't I have something to help the pain?"

Addison wiped her face, which had been splashed, and looked at her in concern. "Well, I don't exactly carry morphine with me," she said, her voice satirical, "but you can probably have some Tylenol. It won't harm the baby, but it probably won't help the contractions, either, sweetie. You're going to have to ride it out."

"Easy for you to say when you're not the one in labour," Izzie grumbled. "Addie, rub my back . . . oh, God, do it now!" She curled her body in the water, crying out loudly. Addison immediately repeated the massage she had done with the last contraction, her face showing relief as Izzie moaned in pleasure. "Much, much better."

The contractions went on for another hour, still five minutes apart. Izzie's water broke, which led to Addison on her hands and knees cleaning up the floor while Izzie squatted over the toilet, trying not to make a mess. Once that was done, things started to pick up a little more. Izzie got in and out of the bath, in and out of the bed, walked around and squatted down, trying to follow all of Addison's suggestions to help ease the labour and even trying some techniques she remembered from birthing class, the last time she was in labour, and what she knew as an OB/GYN resident. Nothing helped and the contractions kept intensifying. Finally, Addison, sick of being abused, suggested that Izzie lay down for awhile and try to get some rest. As soon as the contractions became four minutes apart, they'd go to the hospital. Izzie, who was open to any suggestions, readily agreed.

She lay down on the bed and Addie lay behind her, spooning her and letting her body heat ease Izzie's lower back pain. They both sighed and Addison closed her eyes, trying to conserve her own strength. Izzie would be tired enough – the last thing they needed was both of them being exhausted and not being able to deal with the labour. Addison drifted off.

In no time at all, it seemed, Izzie was smacking Addie's shoulder. "Get up, Addison. The contractions are four minutes apart and I am not waiting any longer." She stomped off to the bathroom. "And I have to pee, AGAIN. Whose idea was this in vitro anyway?" Addie rolled her eyes. Obviously, Izzie was in a wonderful mood. She snuggled down into the covers to catch another two minutes of sleep while Izzie was in the bathroom.

Unfortunately, Izzie caught her and it did nothing to improve the situation. "Get up, Addison, or I'll kill you," she hissed, pulling Addison's arm. "If you're not in the car in another minute, I'm going without you."

Addison was still blinking with sleep when they got into her silver Mercedes, speeding to the hospital. Izzie was saying nothing, but her white-knuckled grip on the door handle spoke volumes. Addison knew when to shut up – it was different when you were the doctor, since at least the labouring mother would try to treat you with respect (although, not always – Addie'd had her share of abuse over the years). Izzie was a dragon when she was angry under normal circumstances. As a labouring mother, she was volatile.

They arrived at the hospital and checked in. Izzie practically dragged Addison down the hall of the Maternity floor, trying to find her room. "And as soon as I'm settled in, I want you to get me morphine. NOW. I don't care if you're not my doctor, you are a doctor and you can prescribe me some. I'm not waiting for Dr. Colette."

Addison kept to her silence, dragging Izzie's wheeled suitcase behind her. However, when Izzie was looking the other way, trying to find the room number, she allowed herself an eye roll. You'd think no one had ever had a baby before, she thought in amusement as she followed Izzie into her room.

Once the resident was settled and sufficiently drugged, life seemed to be a whole lot sunnier. "I didn't realize that this stuff was so good," said Izzie, smiling up at Addison blearily. Her voice was muzzy and relaxed. "I don't feel anything at all . . . just some pressure. Why didn't they have this years ago?"

"They did, sweetie," said Addie patiently, flipping the pages of her magazine and tossing her straight red hair over her shoulders. She couldn't remember a time that she had come to the hospital without makeup or proper clothes on. She then decided that she didn't care, and the first frisson of excitement shot through her legs. She couldn't wait for this baby to get here.

Cristina stuck her head into the room. "Meredith paged me. So, how long has it been?" She came in and sat on the edge of Izzie's bed, grinning as Izzie gave a slow giggle. "Too long, Yang, too long," she said. "Don't ever have a baby. Never."

Addison rolled her eyes as Cristina turned to her in confusion. "Labour's been a treat," she said succinctly. Cristina nodded. "Well, let me know when the baby gets here," she said insincerely, backing out of the room. Addison hid a smile. Cristina knew to get when the getting was good.

Izzie, clad in hospital nightgown, adult diaper (for the still-dripping bag of waters) and knitted pink slippers, looked entirely comfortable. She fell into a light sleep, only opening her eyes when the pressure in her back end became too uncomfortable to sleep. Every so often, one of the nurses would come in to check on her, make her more comfortable and check the dilation of her cervix. Things moved slowly and Addison felt herself getting tired. The clock ticked on.

Izzie, reading a novel at around noon, suddenly tossed it aside. "Addie," she said, "I know morphine slows down labour, but I had no idea it slowed it down this much. Why didn't you tell me?" She looked really angry and Addison once again had to suppress an eye roll.

"Well, sweetheart, as an OB/GYN resident, you should know it yourself, considering that we advise against these sorts of narcotics for labouring mothers on a daily basis. You made the decision for pain medication and that's okay, but you're going to have to put up with the labour being slower." She stood up and stretched. "I need a walk. Who do you want me to page to your room to stay with you?"

Izzie thought. "Maybe Alex?"

"Okay." Addison whipped out her Blackberry and started to type into it. Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. Addison practically ran to open it and gave Alex a huge smile. "Enjoy," she muttered, and left the room in relief.

Alex tossed an amused look over his shoulder and walked over to Izzie, kissing her on the cheek. "How's it going, Dr. Model?"

"Slow as molasses, God, no one tells you it's going to take forever when you decide to get rid of the mind-crushing pain," Izzie griped. Alex laughed. "And you didn't know this, you know, working with these kinds of patients every day?"

Izzie pouted. "I wish everyone would stop expecting me to know these things just because I'm an OB resident. It's different when it's you in the bed! You don't expect it to hurt this much or be this hard. With my other pregnancy, I don't remember any of this . . . I just remember the C-section."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Then, yeah, no one would expect you to know this stuff personally," he murmured, holding her hand. "I didn't know you had a C-section with Hannah."

"Yeah, I did," said Izzie quietly. "There were complications. With this baby, I was going to try and do it vaginally. I'm hoping that will be possible."

Alex pressed her hand. "Me, too, Izzie. So have you been running Addison ragged?" He grinned at her, then rubbed her lower back as a contraction hit. Izzie couldn't feel anything but the pressure, but the pressure could be quite strong and somewhat painful. Once it had passed, he pressed the nurse's call button and asked her the question again. Izzie grimaced. "Well, it hurts and sometimes she just doesn't move fast enough . . ." She trailed off and then pouted again. "I guess so. I guess I haven't been very nice," she replied.

The nurse came in and checked Izzie. "Doing well, Dr. Stevens. You're at nearly six centimeters dilated. I'm just going to call Dr. Colette to have a look and we'll get the epidural started."

Izzie smiled and the nurse left. Alex opened his mouth to say something else, but his pager went off and he got up to go. "I'll page Addison to come back," he said, starting to type in her number, but just then there was another knock on the door. Alex looked at Izzie quizzically and she shrugged her shoulders. He opened the door and George walked in.

"Hey," said George softly. "I heard you were in labour, so I came to see how you were doing." Alex just stared at him. "O'Malley, what the hell are you doing here? And what's Torres gonna say?"

George ignored him and stepped closer to Izzie. "How are you doing?" he asked her gently. Izzie looked from him to Alex in confusion. Alex looked at Izzie. "Do you want him out?"

Izzie turned her gaze back to George and considered. Did she want him to see her this way? Was she comfortable with him in the room? The answer to both questions, surprisingly, was that she didn't care. "He can stay, I guess," she said. "Addison will be back soon, anyway."

George smiled and Alex shrugged. "Whatev. But I'm telling you, O'Malley, if Torres catches you in here after everything, she's gonna be mightily pissed. Your funeral." He left the room, still shaking his head.

George turned to Izzie. "How's the labour been?"

Izzie shook her head. "How labour always is, I expect. George, why are you here? After everything?"

"Because I want to see if you're okay . . . and because once upon a time, we were friends, and I'd like to be friends again," he replied, his face softening.

Izzie looked at him, and then looked away. "That was before everything, though. Before all the stuff between us. I mean, technically, if we had continued, George, this could be your baby that I'm having. You know Callie doesn't like us together anyway, even just as friends. Why would you want to compromise your marriage?" She winced and then cried out as the pressure bit sharply down, like a knife twisting in her bottom. George began to massage her lower back, unasked. She let him, but only because she was in so much pain. When the contraction passed, she breathed a little more easily.

"I don't want to compromise my marriage. And I think you'd be surprised at what Callie thinks," George said. "Everything's under the bridge now, Izzie. I just want to be friends. I want to be a part of your life, and of your daughter's life. I miss you . . . a lot."

Izzie looked at George for the first time, trying to decide if she felt any attraction for him. Before, in the elevator, passing him in the hallway, she had always felt a little flash, as if her body couldn't forget what they'd gone through, what they'd had together. Now, however, with the culmination of her and Addison's relationship in this baby, she felt nothing. Nothing but the longing to be close to George again – to laugh and enjoy friendship with him. And somehow, she knew that this was the natural order of things – that they were both far enough along in their relationships to be friends and to be as they were always meant to be, comfortable and like siblings.

"I miss you too," Izzie whispered. "But not like you think. I just miss . . . remember the days when you'd challenge me to Gamecube wars? Or when we drank an entire bottle of tequila between us and Meredith was so angry? Or when we used to sit and watch reruns of Scrubs?"

George grinned, the old comradely grin that Izzie had always loved best about him. "I remember. I miss those days."

"I miss making you go out and buy my tampons," Izzie joked. George grinned. "I miss kicking you out of the bathroom when I had my shower," he replied.

"I miss being your friend," said Izzie. "And I'd like it if we were friends again." She sighed, shifted uncomfortably in her bed. "It'll take awhile, you know."

"That's okay with me," said George, taking her hand. "I'm willing to wait."

Just then, another contraction took Izzie, and George jumped to massage her back and hold her hands. It lasted close to three minutes. George picked up his pager and stepped out into the hallway. "I'm going to get Dr. Colette, and page Addison."

"Okay," gasped Izzie, blinking as the pain eased. In another second, though, Addison came back into the room. "How are things, sweetie?"

"Starting to heat up," George replied, coming back into the room. "I'm trying to get ahold of Dr. Colette. I really want her looked at. She's in active labour now."

Addison, although she wasn't supposed to, grinned at George and pulled the curtain around Izzie's bed, checking her wife herself. "Approximately six centimeters . . . you're ready for the epidural now, sweetie," she said to Izzie.

Just then, Dr. Colette came in. She was a jolly woman, round and short, with curly brown hair and bright brown eyes. "Hey, Addison, Izzie," she said cheerfully. "Nurse told me that it's time for the epidural?" As the only other attending on the Mat floor, Addison depended a lot on Dr. Colette and was secretly happy that if she couldn't deliver Izzie, at least Dr. Colette could.

Dr. Colette checked Izzie. "Yes, yes, seems to be the right time," she said. "But I'm a little bit concerned . . ." She felt around, and both Izzie and Addison exchanged a concerned look. "There's something not quite right here," said Dr. Colette. She checked the readout on the fetal monitor and shook her head. "Addison, do you want to?" She gestured to Izzie and Addie nodded, feeling around herself. Her expression changed.

"What?" Izzie demanded. "What's wrong?"

George came to hold her hand. "Let them talk," he whispered, and the whisper soothed Izzie for a moment before the fear came back.

Addison finished conferring with Dr. Colette and came back to Izzie, taking her other hand. "Izzie, sweetie . . . the baby is facing upward and because of the size of her head, she seems to be almost stuck. Her head is being squeezed when you have a contraction, which is causing her heartbeat to slow down. It's not safe to deliver her this way – not for you, nor for her. Dr. Colette and I are suggesting a C-section."

Izzie's face crumpled and she reached out for Addison, who cuddled her close. "I know you wanted to do this vaginally," she whispered into Izzie's blonde curls. "But we have to think about what's safe for Tally."

Izzie nodded. She knew immediately as soon as Addison had started talking that she'd need a C-section. "Let's just do it and get out of here," she whispered back.

Things happened quickly after that. Izzie was given the epidural; Addison was outfitted in cap and gown to be present, if not to assist, and George was updated on the situation to tell Izzie's other friends what was going on. Before he left the room, he squeezed Izzie's hand and whispered, "I call godfather," before he left. The last sound he heard was Izzie's hearty laughter as he went out the door.

In the OR, Izzie lay on the table. A drape had been set up so that she couldn't watch the actual C-section (or make comments on it, Addison had joked to her – she had simply rolled her eyes). She hadn't realized how cold the OR was – she supposed that when you were actually performing the surgery, you didn't notice temperature. She shivered a little and a nurse put a warmed blanked over her arms and chest.

Izzie could only feel a lot of pressure – she was even having trouble hearing what was going on. Addison stood, watching the C-section, pointing here and there and "backseat cutting", which Dr. Colette was trying to ignore with a smile. She heard a few comments, like "third layer", "uterine wall" and "umbilical cord", but couldn't really follow the commentary. In fact, it seemed like she was living in a gluey world of dizziness until she heard a gasp from behind the drape and in the next moment, an infant's piercing cry.

Addison, tears streaming down her face, helped Dr. Colette raise the baby above the drape so that Izzie could see her. "It's a girl!" they shouted together. The time was 4:15 pm.

After that, things seemed to pass really quickly. They cleaned Tally up, weighed her (eight pounds, 1 ounce), measured her (twenty-two inches long) and wrapped her in a warm blanket, putting a pink hat on her little round head. Addison took the baby into her arms and simply stared at her. Tally was so small, her ivory-pink skin unbelievably soft, her little face red and swollen a bit from being stuck in Izzie's birth canal. When she opened her teary eyes once or twice, Addison could see that they were a clear, cool grey. Her tiny hands opened and closed as she wailed. Finally, Addie brought the baby to Izzie.

Izzie was almost too tired and woozy to even see the baby, but she managed to turn her head and drink in her daughter. She was crying openly, and although her arm felt incredibly weighted, she managed to raise a hand to stroke the baby's face before she had to close her eyes.

Dr. Colette brought a camera over and grinned at the family. "Smile, everyone!"

With a flash, the picture was taken – Addison, Izzie, and Talia Rose Stevens-Montgomery. The perfect family.


	9. Chapter 9

Izzie brushed her hair out of her eyes and adjusted the baby in her arms. "Who knew that holding a newborn would kill your arms this much?" she complained. Addison smiled indulgently.

"Oh, you love her, no matter how much she gives you tendonitis," she joked gently, smoothing Tally's hair over her scalp. The baby didn't have much hair, but to both doctors' surprise, the hair she did have was strawberry blonde, which made Addison happier than both of them knew. Mostly, she looked a lot like Izzie – she had Izzie's dark eyes, which had turned from their clear silvery-grey to a dark slate grey within a week of her birth. Now, they were fast on their way to brown. Addison personally hoped they would be exactly Izzie's chocolate-brown eyes, and she seemed to be getting her wish.

Tally was a month old and what they called a "good baby". She didn't cry a whole lot, just when she was hungry or wet, and liked to stare up at everyone, whoever held her. She was fascinated with people's faces, and would lock her fast-focusing eyes with theirs, her face a study of concentration. Izzie would rarely let anyone else but Addison hold her baby – she was remarkably possessive with her – but when visitors did get a chance, they always went away talking about how cute the baby was.

Izzie was having a lot of trouble breastfeeding, but she kept at it – Tally could never get enough, and Izzie was having issues with cracked nipples and sore breasts. But the baby was thriving on it, so Addison did what she could to help her. This mostly was massaging the breasts and helping Izzie put her nipple cream on at night. Izzie had originally wanted Tally to sleep with them in the bed, but Addison had fast forbidden it, printing off a zillion studies about how bad co-sleeping was for babies. Izzie had rolled her eyes, but she'd given in, and Tally slept in a small, high antique cradle placed on the floor beside Izzie's side of the bed. She woke up about three times a night, and the lack of sleep had been hard on Izzie at first, although as a doctor, she was used to sleeping when she could.

Because Tally had been three weeks premature, she was a bit small for her age. She had been in the NICU for the first few days of her life, but had shown no problems at all. Addison had been extremely amazed and so happy, and Izzie had breathed a sigh of relief. Now, the baby was about the same size as other children her age, although Izzie still hung over her at night, listening to her breathing, trying to gauge any problems. She was happy and had even started to make noises, little trills that both her parents loved to listen to.

Everyone had come to see the baby – they'd all come bearing gifts. Meredith still came by all the time, bringing cute little pink and white clothes for the baby. Izzie had thrilled to all the beautiful little outfits, buying lots of them herself when she had healed enough from her C-section to walk relatively comfortably around the mall. Addison always brought home designer stuff, which made Izzie laugh. Even Tally had to be well-dressed!

The only person not thrilled with the baby's birth was Hannah. They had taken her to the hospital to meet her new half-sister, but Hannah had been completely uninterested and bored with the idea. She'd dutifully held the baby, but been fast to give her back to Izzie and then to ask Addison if they could go home, since she had homework to do. This had really upset Izzie, but she'd done her best to shrug it off. She knew Hannah had trouble with change and with new people in her life, and the fact that they still hadn't gotten any news about her parents was extremely upsetting.

Surprisingly, Hannah was really close to Addison now – she would ask for Addison to come and tuck her in at night and sometimes, she would sit beside Addie on the couch, cuddling up to her when they watched movies or just chatted after Addie got home from work. Several times, she had woken, crying in the night, and Izzie had gone to her, but although Hannah had accepted Izzie's comfort, sometimes she'd actually called out for Addison. Addie was secretly very pleased with this, but she knew that it hurt Izzie when she showed that she was pleased, so she tried to hide it from her. She did thrill to holding Hannah's warm little body at night, and sometimes she would actually lie down with the little girl and hold her close until she was asleep.

Hannah got annoyed quickly with Tally, snapping angrily whenever she heard the baby crying at night or whenever she had to do homework. Addison had actually had to talk to her about that, asking her to be a little more respectful towards the baby. Hannah had burst into tears then, and Addison had picked her up and put the little girl in her lap, holding her close. "What's wrong, sweetie? Why does Tally annoy you so much?"

"Because Izzie loves her," Hannah had mumbled, her face turned into Addison's shoulder. "She wanted her."

Addie had rubbed her back, sighing deeply. "She wants you, too. Did Izzie tell you why she gave you to your parents?"

Hannah had shaken her head. "No. But I wasn't willing to listen, either," she said consideringly, playing with a piece of Addie's red hair.

Addison smiled at her. "Well, when Izzie had you, she was sixteen years old. She was still in high school and she had no money. Her boyfriend at the time, your father, refused to have anything to do with you. Her mother wanted to keep you, but Izzie knew that you'd be better off if you could have the life that she never did. She wanted it to be easier for you. So she gave you to your parents."

"It's just semantics," Hannah mumbled. Addison raised her eyebrows at the use of the word from a twelve-year-old, but said nothing. "That's everyone's story. If she really wanted me, she could have found a way."

Addison shook her head at the black-and-white view of the world that all children have. "Sweetie, I can't explain this away to you. This is something you and Izzie need to talk about." She tucked a blonde curl behind Hannah's ear. "And if you want these bad feelings to go away, you need to listen to her and not run away, even though it's easier."

Hannah sniffled again and Addison reached for a Kleenex, dabbing at Hannah's teary eyes. She kissed the top of Hannah's head. "Go on."

Hannah went upstairs and Addison followed her. They went into the master bedroom where Izzie was singing in her tuneless voice to Tally, who was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms. Addison had grinned at her. "Can I have my daughter now, or are you going to hog her all day?"

Izzie had wrinkled her nose up. "Didn't you know? The one who gives birth to the child has full and utter rights. Sorry, babe." She winked playfully at Addie and the two of them shared a kiss as Izzie passed Tally to Addison. The baby stretched a little and made a soft noise. Addison cuddled her close and then left the room.

Hannah stared at the floor. Izzie looked up from where she was folding some of Tally's clothes and raised her eyebrows. "What's up, Hannah?" Her voice was light, unconcerned. Izzie really had no idea about how Hannah felt about the baby, because she had been pretty engrossed in looking after her new child. She felt a little horrible about that, and patted the edge of the bed, inviting Hannah to sit.

Hannah had remained standing, raising her dark eyes to bore into Izzie's. "Why did you give me up?"

Izzie looked surprised. "Hannah . . ."

"No, seriously. Why? Because I know the story – Addison told me. But I want to know what made you make that decision, when you love Tally so much, but you didn't want me." Hannah's voice was wobbly and Izzie could see how raw she was. She didn't attempt to touch her, but her voice became gentle and soft.

"I was sixteen, Hannah. I was a kid. I couldn't afford to feed you, let alone give you everything that you deserve. I did want you – I wanted you so much. When the nurse took you away after the C-section, I cried so hard that I threw up. I regretted that decision for years after I made it. But I knew that it was the best for you."

Hannah shook her head. "If you regretted it so much, why did you do it? Addie said that your mom wanted me. Your mom could have helped you look after me."

Izzie brushed a hand across her face and tried to control her voice, which threatened to get snappy with anger. "Hannah. My mother was, and still is, an addict. She drinks and she gambles, and she calls psychics and spends her food money on useless predictions. My grandmother moved in with us when I was a kid because my mother couldn't take care of me. There was no way she could have taken care of you, or helped to bring in enough money so that I could send you to the Catholic school I wanted you to go to, or give you music lessons, or do anything that would have made you the person you are today. You would have made the same mistakes that my mother made and I made."

Izzie tried to draw a deep breath, but suddenly the tears spilled over her cheeks and she found herself sobbing. "I always imagined meeting you, you know. I imagined us meeting when you were much older and having this conversation. I never imagined that your parents would be lost and you would be here with me. I never stopped thinking about you." She crossed to the dresser and pulled it open, grabbing an envelope, which she shoved into Hannah's hands. The little girl opened it to find pictures of herself, at all ages.

"I bothered the adoption agency until they contacted the parents to send pictures to me. I couldn't stand not knowing what you looked like or what you liked to do. And you know what? I've tried to be understanding. I've tried to be accommodating. But all I've wanted is for you to smile at me and to, you know, be nice. And you've been so hard to get along with and so sad, and it breaks my heart, because the best I could do just wasn't good enough, and you're not happy anyway." Izzie buried her face in her hands and sobbed, expecting that when she looked up again, Hannah would be gone.

Instead, she felt the bed dip down where Hannah sat on it, and she felt little arms around her. "I am happy," said Hannah, her voice the gentlest that Izzie had ever heard it. "I'm so happy and I'm so grateful. I just really miss my mom and dad," she said, her voice trembling. "It's just really hard right now and I'm insanely jealous of Tally."

Izzie turned and gathered Hannah into her arms, feeling the little girl's sobs and her heartbeat against her sensitive hands. "Oh, sweetheart . . . I wish you had told me all of this," she said. "I love you so much, Hannah."

Hannah didn't say anything for a moment, and Izzie felt her heart sink a little, but she steeled herself to be understanding. Then, "I love you, too, Izzie."

Addison smiled from the door.

Things had not been perfect after that – Hannah and Izzie were too much alike to not be at loggerheads with each other. But Hannah had been a little bit more accommodating of the baby, and she had even held her a few times, or fetched her for Izzie when Tally needed feeding or changing. And Christmas was fast approaching and Hannah was trying to fathom a Christmas without her parents there.

Addison came down the stairs, dressed in her white winter coat and soft felt boots. "Hannah, I'm going Christmas shopping, do you want to come?"

Hannah looked up from where she was reading on the couch. "Okay," she said, her tone bored. "Get me out of the house." She stared hopelessly at the endless grey rain and Addison helped her into her coat, tickling her tummy a little as she zipped Hannah up. "Come on, help me get a present for Izzie and Tally."

Izzie woke up from her nap, startled, really as the phone rang right next to her ear. Tally showed her displeasure on being awakened so rudely by letting out a piercing cry. Izzie picked her up and rocked her back and forth while she juggled the phone with her other hand. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Dr. Isobel Stevens?"

Izzie hefted the baby up to her shoulder and began to pat her back while cradling the phone with her other shoulder. "Yes, yes, it is, if you're selling something I don't want any," she snapped in annoyance.

"No, ma'am. We're from the U.S. Embassy in Kenya. Are you responsible for Hannah Killearn?"

Tally continued to scream and Izzie gasped. "Can you hold on for just a minute?" She put the phone down and fumbled with her bra, finally freeing her breast and slipping it into Tally's mouth. Immediately, the baby stopped crying and began to nurse. Izzie picked the phone back up. "Yes, from Kenya, you said?" Her voice rose hopefully at the end of the sentence.

"Yes, ma'am. We've found the Killearns – they're in a hospital in North Kenya. They're both pretty battered, but they're alive. We expect to send them home in a few days. We wanted to call you to make the arrangements to send them to Seattle Grace Hospital."

Izzie felt herself get dizzy and quickly lay down. "What's their condition?"

"They're stable, but Mr. Killearn is just barely stable. They were both beaten and robbed. Apparently, they've been languishing in this hospital for close to two months. They're both suffering from dysentery and malnutrition, but once they get back on American soil, their condition should improve."

Izzie started laughing hysterically and covered her mouth with her hand. "Thank you for the call. When will they be flying back?"

"We expect them to arrive on Friday of next week." A quick glance of the calendar showed that to be three days before Christmas.

Izzie thanked the man and got off the phone. Just then, she heard the door slam downstairs. Slipping Tally off her breast, she placed her in her cradle and switched on her baby monitor. Then, she went as fast as her healing C-section scar allowed down the stairs.

Addison was hauling bags in and she caught Izzie's eye. "Don't you move another step," she warned. "We've got Christmas gifts for you in these bags!"

Izzie stepped into the mudroom anyway. "That doesn't matter now – Hannah, they've found your parents! And they're alive!"

Hannah's jaw dropped and her face drained of colour. Then, she fainted, striking her head on the floor before Addison or Izzie could catch her.

"Shit!" Addison cursed, turning around and checking Hannah's head, which had been cushioned by the hood of her winter coat. "She seems to be okay. No lump forming," she said to Izzie, who breathed a sigh of relief. Addison picked Hannah up and they got her to the couch, where they waited for her to come to.

When Hannah woke up, she was still white and sweaty. Izzie gave her some orange juice to sip and the colour quickly came back to her face. "Did you – did you say that my parents are ALIVE?" said Hannah disbelievingly.

Izzie laughed, her voice holding a hint of tears. "Yes, sweetheart – they're alive. They're flying back in a week. They're still going to have to stay in the hospital for awhile, but the man from the embassy said they were stable." She looked up at Addison, who was smiling, her eyes full of tears.

Hannah burst into laughter, then burst into tears. She leaned forward and hugged Izzie tightly. "I can't believe it . . . my prayers were answered," she murmured and Izzie held her tightly.

The week passed quickly, it seemed, to everyone, especially Izzie and Addie. They had grown so used to having Hannah with them that it seemed crazy to think that she'd be gone soon. Izzie especially was having trouble letting Hannah go again. She went on crying jags and spent hours locked in her room with the baby when Hannah was at school. Hannah herself seemed extremely excited to be reunited with her parents, but she mentioned once or twice that she would miss living with Izzie and Addie. All three planned to ask the Killearns if it would be okay if Hannah stayed over once in awhile, to visit the new family.

Finally, the big day arrived. All four went to the airport to meet the Killearns. Hannah couldn't stop pacing around – she hadn't eaten anything that morning and Addison was worried that she'd faint again. She tried to get her to sip some juice, but Hannah only took a few sips before she walked over to the large windows, pressing her face against the glass, looking hard for the plane.

Izzie was discreetly feeding Tally under a blanket, looking around in paranoia every time someone passed by her. Finally, Addison got annoyed with her constantly looking for trouble and said in a low voice, "Sweetie, no one cares that you're breastfeeding. Stop stressing."

As Izzie opened her mouth to answer, the loudspeaker sounded and the Killearns' flight number was called. Immediately, Hannah whirled around and ran over to Izzie and Addison. "Come on, they're here, they're here!" She jumped up and down in excitement and both women hid a smile.

Because of the special circumstances, they were allowed past the gate as long as a guard accompanied them. Immediately, they spotted two wheelchairs being wheeled down the hallway. Hannah dropped everything and ran towards her parents, throwing her arms first around her mother, and then her father. Everyone was crying and laughing, all at the same time. The Killearns were pale, but they seemed okay, and the doctor that had come back with them on the plane told Izzie that they would need some stronger antibiotics, but that they were getting better by the day and he fully expected them to be home by Christmas. When Hannah heard this, she began to sob with joy.

They all went to the hospital and got the Killearns settled. Hannah would not leave her parents' side, but she did ask if they could spend Christmas with Izzie and Addison. Addison had stepped up at that point and shaken her head at Hannah, but Hannah's parents had been game for anything. Mrs. Killearn had shaken Izzie's hand and whispered, "Thank you, thank you so much." That was all she had to say and Izzie's tears had spilled over her cheeks.

On Christmas Day, the Killearns, Izzie, Hannah, Addison and Tally sat around the Christmas tree. The Killearns were pretty much fine – they were walking around and eating heartily. Hannah was as happy as Izzie had ever seen her, running back and forth between her two families, even taking Tally over to her parents so that they could admire the baby, who had just started to smile, although at what, no one knew.

Izzie and Addison sat on the couch together, their hands intertwined. "I had no idea that happy endings actually happened," Izzie whispered. "I thought they were just fairy tales."

Addison squeezed her hand. "I guess sometimes we all get lucky."

Izzie looked around at the family in front of her, the baby in Mrs. Killearn's arms, and her lover beside her. "Feels like home," she whispered.

"That's because it is," Addison whispered back. And just then, Hannah shouted, "Hey! It's snowing!"

They stepped outside, Izzie wrapping Tally in a warm blanket. The flakes touched their faces and Hannah ran around, trying to catch them on her tongue.

Izzie knew that this was as close to perfection as she could ever get.

_When I turn out the light, you're in my sight_

_And I know that I'm not alone_

_It feels like home._


End file.
